All of My Tomorrows
by deleria
Summary: Naraku, Kikyou & Inuyasha are dead. The jewel is complete & within Kagome once more. Enter Sesshoumaru; he wants the Tetsusaiga and Kagome is the only one who can give it to him. Together they must face a threat worse than Naraku. REWRITE IN PROGRESS
1. prologue :: twilight

**AN:** It is funny to me to look back at this fanfiction and see how completely _wrong_ it is. If you're looking for a fic that sticks with the manga storyline, you may want to keep moving. There are a lot of really good Kagome/Sesshoumaru fanfictions out there that are a lot better than this one AND they manage to stick with the manga a lot better than this.

However, if you do decide to read this please keep in mind that this fic was written in 2002 (ten years ago, holy crap!). It was written well before the manga was finished. At the time when I wrote this, I really did have a theory that Kagome wasn't Kikyou's reincarnation at all - but something else entirely. And I used this fic to try to flesh that idea out a bit. Also, I was really frustrated with Inuyasha being such a bonehead when it came to his relationship with Kagome... ;)

I should warn you (and apologize in advance) that the formatting in some of the chapters got messed up (thanks to the site) and my writing style is kinda hit and miss in some places (thanks to my n00bishness when I first wrote this). Enough people seem to enjoy the story that I feel obliged to keep it up. And it was one of my first multi-chaptered stories. I learned a lot about how to write a multi-chapter fic from writing this thing (like... why it's important to make an outline AND regularly check it while writing). Also, I didn't have a beta when I wrote this thing.

So... it's kinda nostalgic for me. And it's nice to look back at it and gauge my own improvement as a writer - not that I think I'm a great writer. I'm not. If I was, I'd be getting PAID to write and as a professional graphic designer, that is clearly NOT the case. ;) That said, I do think I've improved since this was first written and that is something that I am pleased about.

Anyway, I hope you are able to enjoy the story for what it is. :)

Thanks for reading.

-del

(Jan. 29, 2012)

* * *

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
prologue : twilight

* * *

The world seemed to slow to a crawl.

Kagome was focused solely on the undead Miko before her. Her lips moved and words were spoken, but the time traveler ignored her. Standing on wobbly legs, she glared at Kikyou as she pulled an arrow from her quiver.

Her intent was clear.

An angry grimace tightened the line of Kagome's mouth as her fingers grazed the wooden shaft of the first arrow that pierced her through the chest. It was a fatal wound, but Kagome was only dimly aware that she was dying. The warmth flowing out of her body was just background noise that her brain ignored. It was by sheer force of will that she remained upright. This display of stubbornness in the face of death clearly frustrated Kikyou.

Eyes narrowed, she prepared to shoot again.

From the corner of her eye, Kagome caught the movement of Naraku slinking into the shadows, his eyes watching the events before him play out while he remained relatively safe under the cover of darkness. Seeing him, she felt a swell of anger from the pit of her belly roar to life. He was the cause of everything. He was why so many had suffered, and continue to suffer.

He could not be forgiven.

It was then that she heard his voice. Registering his desperation when he yelled out Kikyou's name caused the time traveler to advert her gaze. Darkening blue eyes wandered to each of her friends, all of them clearly exhausted and thoroughly beaten and bloodied, but her gaze faltered on the hanyou. His worried expression seemed to linger more in Kikyou's direction than her own.

Primal emotions that felt both familiar and foreign surged within her. Anger, jealousy, hurt, love, betrayal... with great effort, she tore her gaze from his and turned to face the Miko fully.

'_It's time._'

• • •

"I don't know how you're able to stand," Kikyou said, voice full of contempt, "but you're still in the way."

The bow stretched and the corpse took careful aim, a slight smile gracing her delicate features. Voices yelled at her to stop, but she ignored them. What she was doing was for the best. She was making things right again. Kagome should not be in their time. Kikyou should not be confined to a body made of bone and grave soil. The Shikon no Tama had to be destroyed. The only one who could do it was Kikyou, not some girl-child from the future.

Once everything was made right again, Inuyasha would understand. They would all understand.

"Be at peace," the walking corpse whispered, releasing the arrow with a whoosh.

With inhuman speed, Kagome's right hand shot up and smacked the projectile away as one would knock away a bothersome fly. The dead woman stared at the girl, her mouth hanging slightly open in surprise.

'_She's... what is she-?_'

Kikyou's eyes filled with awe and terror as Kagome's fist closed around the wooden shaft impaling her. Without hesitation, the girl yanked at it savagely. Blood and tissue splattered around her as it suddenly dislodged from her body. The young woman lowered her eyes to examine the arrow in her hand, turning it over as she inspected it before letting it drop soundlessly to the ground in front of her.

Kikyou took a hesitant step back, the tip of her bow dragging on the ground and hanging precariously from her fingers. It was then that she noticed that Kagome's eyes were different; not just the color, but also the knowledge contained within.

'_Midoriko,_' the undead Miko thought as understanding flooded her. How could she miss it for so long? How could she not realize just who and what Kagome really was?

'_She is a descendant of Midoriko!_'

In the breath of a single second, terror froze Kikyou's heart. She had vastly underestimated the importance of Inuyasha's companion and now the fool child was losing control. Would anyone survive? As though hearing her thoughts, Kagome's face slowly rose to look Kikyou in the eyes.

Death was coming. _Real_ death. Not just for her, but for everyone.

• • •

There was a deep, insistent pulling sensation deep within her. It felt comforting. Calm. Allowing a piece of herself to give in to the sensation, she felt something else flutter about her consciousness, begging to be fully awakened. It promised relief, hope and most of all, justice.

Kagome wanted those things. In her short lifetime, she had seen far too much pain and witnessed too much tragedy. It had to stop. She had to make it stop.

Kagome was only dimly aware of the blood oozing from her chest. She raised her hand to touch the wound, unknowingly cauterizing it. There was no pain anymore, only righteous anger and heartache. The emotions surrounded her like a cocoon, protecting her, changing her. The feeling was both foreign and familiar. Had she a chance to think about what was happening, she would have resisted the sensation out of terror. Instead, she embraced it and let it do as it willed.

Wisdom not her own took form within her mind. It murmurred words of encouragement while directing her movements. From the corner of her eye she saw Naraku slink backward while Kikyou stood in frightened awe. Even her friends seemed to be afraid.

The voice reassured her as it began to draw on a power that Kagome had never known was within her. Power illuminated the darkened forest, causing miasma to recoil under its brilliance. She enjoyed seeing the evil substance boil away into an inert gas that disappeared harmlessly into the air. The poison used so often to hurt her friends was destroyed as though it were nothing. It made her feel good to think that Naraku would soon be next.

Shippou's startled yelp snapped her back into reality. Only then did she realize what was happening to her. The brightness pushing back the miasma was coming from _her_. She was glowing. More than that, she was levitating.

Fear shot through her then and her body seemed to studder.

'_Do not be afraid!_'

Kagome hesitated, her eyes lingering on the hanyou.

'_Your fear will only hurt them._'

And then it asked for full control. Not with words, but with a gentle nudge. Kagome knew instinctively that to deny the request with so much power pouring from her body would cause far more harm than good. But submitting herself to the voice in her mind was equally frightening.

The entity in her mind responded to her hesitation by guiding her thoughts to focus on the Shikon no Tama. It came to her obediently, fusing together to form a perfect sphere and levitating before her. She brought her hands toward it and held it between her open palms, allowing it to spin and float freely. The sphere began to pulse in time with her heartbeat as it slowly changed to a pure white with a dark core of inky black.

As the light began to envelope her and the people around her, a vision suddenly flashed in her mind. She saw the twisted corpse of a familiar young woman whose throat had been torn out. Above her loomed a grotesque youkai with a body shaped like a man, but skin like a snake. It turned toward Kagome and sneered, revealing more of its dragon-like features as it parted its bloodstained lips, pieces of flesh still dangling from its mouth.

In that moment, Kagome recognized the woman and understanding came. By awakening herself, she had also awoken the beast that had fathered the Shikon no Tama. And it wanted her.

Submitting herself to the entity within, Kagome felt a calming warmth flood her mind. She felt herself go numb as the vision was blotted from her memory. The Shikon no Tama was already too saturated with sorrow, pain, anger and hate. It would be impossible to purify it now. But she could protect it until that time came.

Her last conscious thought as one Kagome Higurashi was the hope that Shippou and the others would survive and find happiness someday.

She doubted she would.


	2. chapter one :: dusk

**Disclaimer:** Inuyasha - Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi (Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale) is the lovechild of Takahashi Rumiko and is distributed here in the United States by Viz. This work was created for my personal enjoyment only; no money will be made from this story. I have no right to use Takahashi-sama's characters in any manner whatsoever... but since I'm not making any money from this I am hoping that she won't mind.

* * *

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.  
**chapter one : dusk

* * *

Kagome awoke to see a sliver of a moon hanging overhead. It seemed to wink at her in the darkness as it shined down a scant amount of light. She blinked in bewilderment at the way in which the stars twinkled at her happily, as though nothing were amiss. She moaned softly as she tried to push herself up, only to have bolts of pain shoot through her causing her to pause suddenly in her efforts. She gasped at the pain and gritted her teeth as she settled back down into the Earth and fought the urge to cry.

The more alert she became the more pain she felt. Her body seemed to thrum with it.

Grunting quietly, Kagome tried to push herself up for a second time and slowly succeeded in pulling herself up into a seated position. "Inuyasha?" she whispered hoarsely, her eyes blindly scanning the vicinity. Only silence answered her. She cleared her throat twice and swallowed hard as she prepared herself to try again. Kagome's lips parted and she suddenly paused.

What if Kikyou and Naraku were close by and looking for her? Was it really a wise idea to risk possibly drawing their attention? Kagome bit her lip as she studied her surroundings and pushed herself up to sit a little straighter, causing the pain to thrum even louder. Even if Kikyou and Naraku were close by she had to call for help, she had to know if everyone was okay.

"I—Inuyasha?" Kagome called out cautiously. "Miroku-sama? Sango-chan? Shippou?"

When no response came, Kagome carefully dragged herself toward the closest tree and propped her back up against it. The urge to panic threatened to overwhelm her and she fought it down stubbornly. She had to remain calm and rational if she wanted to survive. Surely, her friends were nearby, she told herself. Somehow, they had been separated, though she could not remember how or why. The last thing she remembered was confronting Naraku and Kikyou, and then Inuyasha charging at Naraku because he was hurting Kikyou.

Kagome felt her heart tighten in her chest at the thought of Inuyasha risking his own life to save Kikyou. Even though Kagome had come to accept that Inuyasha would always love Kikyou, it still broke her heart to see him risk everything for her sake only to see the Miko trick him time after time. The instant the confrontation began earlier that evening, Kagome knew without a doubt that Kikyou was there to help Naraku, but Inuyasha would not hear of it.

Kikyou could do no wrong, even though she didn't lift a single finger to save Kohaku's life when Naraku went to retrieve the shard from his back.

The memory that shone the brightest in Kagome's mind was when Naraku attempted to use Kikyou as an advantage against Inuyasha. The trickery was obvious to Kagome, she could see through the strange spell that surrounded Naraku and Kikyou, but Inuyasha could not. Kagome tried to stop him, but even the power of the prayer beads around his neck was not enough to bring him to his senses. Whatever illusion the hanyou saw was bringing him ever closer to the edge and Kagome feared he would lose himself completely to his youkai blood. Inuyasha had snarled wildly at Naraku and charged at him with a look of pure fury in his eyes, and then Kikyou…

Kagome frowned. And then, Kikyou…

Sighing heavily, Kagome closed her eyes and shook her head as she tried to concentrate on remembering, but her efforts yielded nothing. After a long moment, Kagome sighed in defeat. Instinctively she knew it was important for her to remember _something_, but her rational mind told her she had other concerns to tend to first, like her wounds. She didn't have the luxury to work on jogging her memory if she didn't take care of herself first. Once she found her friends again and got someplace safe, _then_ she could try to force herself to remember everything that had happened.

She carefully began to examine her wounds and check for broken bones and idly wondered why the entire right side of her body ached so much more painfully than her left. Bruised and battered, she knew she did not have the strength necessary to walk back to the village alone and she wasn't certain she knew where she was. Even if she could manage to walk back to the village, she risked getting lost trying to navigate the forest in the dead of night. Regardless, she couldn't stay propped up against a tree all night.

Her right arm and shoulder was badly hurt, but did not appear to be broken. At least two or three ribs on her right side felt cracked, making breathing very painful. The right side of her skull and face smarted with bruises and cuts. She ran her tongue across her lips and tasted fresh blood, confirming she had suffered a split lip. She did not know if her right ankle was broken or just severely sprained, but it certainly hurt as if it was broken. For some strange reason, her chest and back hurt in one very centralized spot. When she searched for a wound all she found was a large, tender bruise and a faint burn mark and wasn't surprised to not remember how she got such a strange wound.

Unconsciously, she rubbed the left side of her body where a rough scar had formed when the Shikon no Tama had been ripped from her. Glancing down in surprise, she saw and felt that the scar was no longer there. Her skin was smooth and healthy, only a slight and familiar bump under her flesh remained. "Shikon on Tama?" she murmured, wondering how the jewel had come to be within her body once more.

The sound of leaves rustling behind her startled her out of her scrutiny and she picked up the only thing within reach, a twig. Holding it defensively, Kagome's voice cracked with fear. "Who's there?"

"K-Kagome?" a hesitant, child-like voice whispered from the darkness in response.

Relief flooded her senses at the sound of the familiar voice and she immediately dropped the twig. She turned her upper body toward the sound as much as she could and smiled as fresh tears pricked her eyes. "Shippou? Shippou, are you okay?"

A painful whoosh escaped her lips as the child flung himself to her; little arms clung to her in a tight hug as his body shook violently against her. He sobbed uncontrollably and muttered incoherently under his breath as he buried his face in her chest. Kagome wondered worriedly what the kitsune pup was so upset about it. She hugged him back as tightly as she could, biting back the pain from her cracked ribs as she felt his body for injuries. "Are you hurt, Shippou? Where is everyone else?"

He pulled back slightly and looked up at her, his eyes shining in the moonlight. "They're-- I'm fine. I thought-- I was afraid you…" he trailed off and buried his face into her torn and bloodied school uniform once more.

"You were worried about me then," she said softly as she stroked his head.

He nodded against her and Kagome smiled down at him. "I'm hurt, but I'll be fine. I just need help to get back to the village. Where is everyone else? Where's Inuyasha?"

His face fell and his chin quivered as he fought for composure. "Inuyasha… he's bleeding everywhere. Sango and Miroku are with him. They're not too far from here." His voice dropped to a low whisper, "He's hurt really bad, Kagome."

Kagome began to force herself to stand causing Shippou to fall from her lap at the sudden movement. "Take me to him."

Sango released a startled gasp when she noticed Kagome's approach. Her eyes darted from Inuyasha's prone form to Kagome and back again, uncertainty and concern clearly etched into her features. She started to rise from her seated position to go help her, but hesitated, looking down at her bloodied hands pressed firmly onto Inuyasha's chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Miroku offered a strained smile to Kagome, "I'm glad to see that you are alright, Kagome-sama. We had feared the worst." He turned his gaze toward Sango, staring at her intently, "Go help her, Sango."

She glanced down at Inuyasha again and winced, understanding flooding her senses. She nodded mutely before rising then quickly moved toward Kagome and Shippou, turning them away from the sight of their fallen friend as she wrapped her arms around Kagome to help support her.

"Are you alright, Kagome-chan?"

"I want to see him," Kagome stated simply as she started to turn back around toward Inuyasha.

"I--I don't think you should." Sango paused, her voice wavering against her will. "He's… Kagome-chan, I'm sorry."

Kagome's watery eyes locked with hers. "Is he dead?"

Sango's throat suddenly felt dry and she could no longer look at her friend. "N--Not yet."

The color slowly drained from Kagome's face as she searched Sango's eyes. "Let me see him. I _need_ to see him… please"

"Kagome-sama… it would be too upsetting for you to see him like this."

A spark flared within the young woman causing her comrades to look at her in surprise and fear. "I said, let me see him!" she yelled as she pulled her arm out of Sango's grasp and started to hobble her way toward the hanyou undaunted.

The moment she reached him, she fell to her knees beside him, her eyes wide with shock and horror. His flesh was torn in several places making him appear grotesque and barely recognizable. Bone was exposed on his left thigh, his chest was dented on one side, and some of his ribs were protruding from his body. It was a wonder he was still able to breathe. If it were not for his long, silver hair and the prayer beads around his neck, she would not have recognized the person dying before her as Inuyasha.

"We--We have to get him through the well," Kagome started with a rush. "I can take him to a hospital. They can save him! We have to go right now," she started to pull Inuyasha onto her lap, his head flopping to one side unnaturally. She looked at Miroku pleadingly, "Help me!"

"Kagome-sama, I—"

"Help me!"

"Kago—"

"Please!" she called out in near hysteria. "You have to help me!"

Miroku griped his staff tightly and swallowed hard. "He is already too far gone, Kagome-sama. Nothing can be done for him now."

"No!" Her hands started to move over his chest, scraping against one of his exposed ribs as she searched for his heartbeat. "He's still alive! He's breathing, see? He's alive… We can save him! The doctors in my time can save him. We can't let him…" Kagome's voice cracked, "Please!"

"Kagome-sama, we would never be able to get to the well in time." Miroku said in soft, comforting tones as he moved to touch her shoulder. She flinched away from him at his touch, still unwilling to believe what she was seeing.

"I know this is hard for you, Kagome-sama. We know you love him, but you must understand… Inuyasha has lost too much blood and his body is beyond repair. Sango and I awoke to find him like this. We did everything we could even though we both knew we were powerless to help him. He's dying Kagome-sama, no one can stop this death. I'm sorry..."

"N—no," she whispered brokenly as tears started to course down her face unchecked. She bowed her head, buried her face in Inuyasha's hair, and wept. Her voice dropped down to an incoherent mutter as she pleaded with him quietly between sobs. Shippou started toward the heartbroken girl, but was stopped by Miroku who shook his head sadly at him.

"Give her this moment, Shippou."

"But she…"

Miroku shook his head at him again before setting himself down on a nearby tree stump. His hands, face and clothes stained with Inuyasha's blood and the seal for his Air Rip hung loosely around his wrist. He took a deep breath and let his eyes drift shut before bowing his head in silent prayer. The boy watched a single tear roll down his cheek and disappear. Shippou felt his own emotions begin to overwhelm him as he turned to peer longingly at Kagome and sniffled; still fighting the instinct to go to the girl he considered to be family. Warm, comforting arms carefully picked him up and Shippou turned tear-filled eyes to Sango. He felt her tremble as she carefully lowered herself to the ground, holding him close to help comfort them both.

After several long moments, Kagome finally lifted her head to peer down at Inuyasha's face still cradled in her lap. With trembling hands, she pushed his hair back away from his face, only to expose another horrible wound just above his temple. She touched the wound hesitantly, whimpering like a wounded animal. Longing to feel the reassurance of his heartbeat, she pressed her hand more firmly against his chest, searching. The once strong and steady rhythms were now weak and erratic. She bit down on her lip hard, reopening her split lip as she felt his heart fumble once, then twice before stopping completely.

"Inu…yasha…"


	3. chapter two :: midnight

**Author's Note: **Comments, reviews and criticisms are always welcome and greatly appreciated. One can't improve if one does not get any feedback, right? Feel free to email me at .

"..." talking

... thinking

... flashback

**Disclaimer:** Inuyasha - Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi (Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale) is the lovechild of Takahashi Rumiko and is distributed here in the United States by Viz. This work was created for my personal enjoyment only; no money will be made from this story. I have no right to use Takahashi-sama's characters in any manner whatsoever... but I am hoping she does not mind my borrowing them for a bit.

* * *

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.  
**chapter two : midnight

* * *

The group moved through the forest in silence, Kiara carrying the bodies of Inuyasha and Kohaku on her back. The only shared goal between them was to take their loved ones back to friendly territory and give them the burial they deserved. Dawn was quickly approaching and the group was already operating well beyond their limits. Sheer stubbornness of will was the only thing propelling them forward. As the first few morning rays peaked over the horizon, they entered Inuyasha's Forest.

No one knew what would happen after Inuyasha was laid to rest, though Shippou silently feared that his Kagome would leave him forever. For the last few months, Shippou had been quietly mulling over the near end of their journey together. The Shikon no Tama was now complete, Naraku had vanished and Miroku's curse lifted. Shippou had hoped that once their quest was complete that Kagome would choose to stay with them. Everyone knew Kagome loved the hanyou and that he had strong feelings for her as well. Both were too stubborn, uncertain or shortsighted to admit their feelings for each other, especially Inuyasha. He never seemed willing to look past Kikyou to see the love that Kagome so freely offered. If only he had, then they would not have to bury him.

With Inuyasha and Naraku dead and the Shikon no Tama complete and within Kagome, there was nothing holding any of them together now. Shippou knew that Miroku and Sango would soon leave to return to Sango's village and bury Kohaku. Then Kagome would leave and never return and Miroku and Sango would probably go on to do other things and Shippou would never see either one of them again.

He would be alone.

As much as his heart ached for the death of a friend he had come to respect and even love, his soul feared loneliness.

Shippou glanced up at Kagome; her face bore dried tearstains and reflected an unreadable mask. She hadn't once said anything about the events that had caused Inuyasha's death. He wondered if she even remembered what had happened, and if she did if she was as afraid of her recently discovered abilities as he was.

He cringed slightly, feeling ashamed.

Kagome was his friend. She was the only person in the world he loved like family; it was not right to be afraid of her, but he couldn't help it. He had never seen anything so terrifying in his life than Kagome glowing with power with a look of murderous intent in her eyes. She had changed into a complete stranger at that moment, a monster. It was terrifying. Yet, now as he looked at her, she appeared to be back to herself. She sounded and looked the same as she always did, save for the emotional stress weighing on her shoulders. The only difference he could detect in her was the subtle change of her scent.

The smell wasn't unpleasant, just different. He still recognized the scent as being uniquely Kagome, but something about it was distinctly different and if he concentrated on the scent too much, his hackles rose. Shippou noticed that even Kiara was acting differently around her. She seemed guarded and somewhat tense. It troubled him greatly, though he dare not speak his thoughts aloud.

Kagome suddenly stopped, causing the group to look at her questionably. "I think this is a good place," she said quietly. "I don't think we should bury him too close to the God Tree. There are too many bad memories there for him."

She turned toward the group, "I think this is a good spot, don't you? He likes it here. I've seen him come here a lot to be alone and think."

Miroku surveyed the area, taking in the lushness of the vegetation around them. Above them, towered a tree with wide, thick branches. Inuyasha often perched to brood and rest in the tree. It overlooked the God Tree, and not far from there was the Bone Eater's well where Inuyasha could watch for Kagome's return and grumble about her incessant lateness. Miroku smiled a bit at the memory, "I agree. Let's get started, Shippou."

The kitsune cub nodded and immediately transformed into a larger humanoid figure with a fluffy, kitsune tail. Shippou tried not to grimace as he helped Miroku move Inuyasha and Kohaku's corpses onto the ground so Kiara could rest. As soon as Shippou got his hands under Kohaku's rigor mortis body, the scent of death and decay threatened to overwhelm the young kitsune causing him to gag.

"Are you alright, Shippou?" Miroku asked.

The boy swallowed hard and tried to hide his discomfort as Sango moved to stand beside him. "Let me help."

"No, Sango. It's alright," the priest said as he pulled her away. "Why don't you and Kagome go see if you can find some stones we can use as markers, or flowers? Shippou and I can take care of the digging."

Sango opened her mouth to protest but Miroku cut her off with one word, "Please."

The youkai exterminator nodded reluctantly, earning a soft smile and a gentle squeeze from Miroku. "Thank you, Sango."

• • •

The sun hung happily in the sky, casting the world in a seemingly cheerful light. The grass was damp with dew and the world was slowly waking up as Kagome and Sango made their way through the woods gathering smooth, round stones into a single pile near the grave site. The birds sung joyful songs that went ignored. Only the gentle thuds of the stones being piled one on top of the other and the occasional grunts from the gravediggers marred the cheery songs. No one seemed to notice the beauty of the blossoming day as their thoughts were too troubled to care.

As the air grew warmer, the girls went looking for flowers. It was the last task that needed to be done before laying Inuyasha to rest.

The silence was worrisome to Sango. She knew Kagome was in pain, they all were… but her worry for her friend extended beyond their mourning over their lost friends and loved ones. "How are your injuries?" Sango asked as they walked along the familiar path toward the God Tree.

Kagome glanced over at Sango, "Better. My shoulder and chest hurts, but I feel a lot better."

"You said last night that you thought your ribs might be cracked, but they don't seem to be bothering you now."

"They aren't. Only my chest hurts now," she placed her hand over the offending spot, "right here."

"Does it?"

"Mmm."

Sango fell silent, unsure how to inquire about the events of last night without upsetting Kagome. They were all walking along the edge of emotional overload as it was. Her questions could wait.

"Sango-chan," Kagome began delicately, interrupting Sango's train of thought. "I'm so sorry about your brother."

Sango smiled softly, "I am too." She turned to look at Kagome, her smile growing, but still revealing her pain. "We all knew this would happen, didn't we? It had to happen, but I think his soul is peaceful now… and he's with our father. Naraku is no longer forcing him to kill, so I'm glad for that."

Kagome smiled, but said nothing.

"We have lost too much, haven't we?"

"I think we have," Kagome whispered.

The pair continued in relative silence, both at a loss of what to say next. When they had gathered as many flowers as they felt were necessary, they started to head back. Sango paused on the trail, causing Kagome to turn around and check on her friend.

"Are you alright, Sango-chan?"

Kagome's questioning eyes implored the older girl, and she opened her mouth to speak, but floundered. Shifting her bundle of fresh flowers to one arm, she gingerly stepped toward Kagome and embraced her fiercely; careful not to destroy the flowers they each held in their hands.

"It is not your fault, Kagome-chan," Sango said in low, comforting tones. The muscles in Kagome's body tensed up suddenly as she continued, "I know you're burdened by all this… we all are, but he jumped in the way at the last second and—"

"What are you talking about, Sango?"

The older girl pulled back to study Kagome in confusion. "The—the accident... After Kikyou shot you and..."

Kagome's expression clouded and she paused, searching her memory. "I don't remember that."

Sango's mouth went dry, "Y-you don't remember?"

Kagome's brows drew together as she searched her memory.

"What is the last thing you do remember?"

"I can remember tracking down Naraku. I remember Naraku and… Kohaku…" she paused, looking at Sango timidly before continuing, "Naraku had all of the shards, except for the few I carried. I can remember Naraku threatening to hurt Kikyou and Inuyasha charging after him with the Tetsusaiga… after that, I don't know."

Silence fluttered uneasily between them as both women tried to decide what to say or do next. Kagome locked her eyes on Sango's, begging for truth as her quiet voice broke through the silence, "What accident are you talking about Sango-chan?"

"Ka-Kagome-chan…"

"Am I responsible for… _this?"_

"It was an accident, Kagome-chan." Sango's cheeks began to dampen.

"Please tell me."

"Kagome-chan, perhaps it is better that you don't remember."

Kagome shook her head stubbornly. "No. Please, tell me. If I caused this, I want to know. Wouldn't _you_ want to know? Tell me what happened last night."

"I'm not—I'm not exactly sure _what_ happened last night." Sango searched her face, hoping that Kagome would change her mind. "Kikyou tried to kill you. She shot you through the chest. We saw you fall to the ground; we all thought you were dead. Inuyasha started to transform and he attacked Naraku thinking he was controlling her… but then you just stood up. We were certain that Kagura was controlling you. We were certain you were… were _dead."_

"Go on," Kagome whispered, the events Sango described rang true in some distant part of her mind. Images flashed before her; images of Naraku's miasma choking her friends, poisoning them; images of Kikyou standing before her with her bow drawn and cruelness in her eyes.

"You—you started to _glow_, Kagome," her voice shook, "You have to understand we all thought you were dead! We thought Kagura was controlling you and that Naraku was using some sort of spell on you, but then we realized that he was absolutely _terrified_ of you."

The huntress peered at Kagome, trying to guage what was going through her mind. The girl stood stock still, eyes downcast and lips silently trembling with unshed tears. When the silence remained, the young Miko swallowed hard and met her friend's gaze, silently pleeding for her friend to continue. Breathing deeply, Sango met Kagome's eyes and cleared her throat, forcing her voice to remain steady.

"Inuyasha started to charge at Kikyou when we saw her prepare to shoot at you again, but he didn't get there in time. She shot at you, and you deflected it somehow. You were floating and the Shikon no Tama came to you. You seemed to... merged with it somehow. I don't know. But after that, it was as if the forest was on fire. Everything happened so fast. It was like you were at the center of a vortex. All sorts of debris started to circle around you and pound into Naraku and Kikyou. When Kikyou tried to stop you, you began to suck the dead souls from her body."

Sango paused and bit her lip. "It all happened so fast," she murmurred. "And Naruku... I don't know what happened to him. He just seemed to... _vanish_."

Facing growing increasingly pale, Kagome wobbled on her feet. Then, "H-how did Inuyasha get hurt?" she whispered.

"I think... I think the Shikon no Tama must have possessed you. It will corrupt anything it touches and I think last night it took advantage of your weakness and possessed you. Naraku was baiting Inuyasha and Kikyou had tried to kill you. You were baddly wounded and trying to defending yourself, but I think the Shikon no Tama caused you to lose control. Inuyasha..." She swallowed hard and adverted her eyes away from Kagome. "He-he tried to save Kikyou at the last moment. He tried to shield her and got the brunt of the attack."

"...I killed him..."

"It was an accident, Kagome-chan. Everyone _knows_ it was an accident. Even he realized his mistake at the last minute..."

"He's dead because of me," she whispered, the flowers in her hands falling from her grasp.


	4. chapter three :: the darkest hour

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.  
**chapter three : the darkest hour

* * *

She had not left his grave in several months, not since they had buried him.

She simply sat in one spot, her eyes staring out into the world unseeing. With each passing day, Kagome's eyes became increasingly dull and lifeless, her will to live dwindling. Her 17th birthday had come and gone, marking two years since she had first become part of their world and met Inuyasha. She spent that day as she spent everyday since she learned the truth of the hanyou's death; she wallowed in misery, guilt and grief.

Kagome did not cry. She did not seem to have the tears or motivation left to react in that manner. All she was aware of was the void within her. The only reason she lived was simply because her body refused to stop functioning. She was wasting away to nothingness. Repeatedly, her friends tried to pursue her to leave, but she would not budge.

Miroku, Sango and Kaede agreed a few weeks after Inuyasha's burial that the best thing to do for Kagome was to send her home and then seal up the well, trapping her in her own time. There she would be with family and hopefully begin the healing process that her soul desperately needed. It was a simple plan, and they were certain they would be able to carry it out without any trouble.

Miroku had approached her without saying a word, his determination to send her home evident in his every step. No words of apology or excuse left his lips as he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and proceeded to carry her toward the well. Much to everyone's surprise and relief, she did not resist nor did she even mutter in protest. She calmly allowed him to carry her the entire distance to the Bone Eater's well before she finally spoke.

"It will not take us. Ever."

Miroku ignored her, and positioned her over the well. "You should go home, Kagome-sama. Wasting away in your grief is not how Inuyasha would want you to behave. Goodbye, Kagome-sama. Buddha be with you."

With that, he dropped her into the well expecting to see her disappear from their time, only to hear the hard thud of her hitting the bottom.

They all looked on in surprise as Kagome pulled herself out and started to walk back toward Inuyasha's grave. "We told you it would not take us," she said over her shoulder. "Do not bother us again."

She did not speak again after that day and over the next few weeks, her visitors began to come with less and less frequency. They still tried to rouse her from her grief whenever they saw her, but she rarely acknowledged their presence and when she did, she did so violently. Everyone was afraid of her. After the tale that told the death of Inuyasha, Kikyou and Naraku not many people found a reason _not_ to be wary of her. A mere scrap of a girl barely into womanhood had killed three of the most powerful beings known to exist and now she lived next to a grave without any shelter at all and barely ate… and yet she still somehow lived.

Stories started to circulate among the villagers that Kagome was never truly human to begin with. They reasoned that no mere human could be born with the Shikon no Tama within them, but they didn't claim her to be youkai, either. She was something else, something wild and incomprehensible.

Some called her a monster and silently hoped that she would die there next to the hanyou's grave rather than come to her senses and give in to the Shikon no Tama's influence. Others suggested that perhaps she was an immortal kami and they theorized that the reason she could not return to her own world was because of her love for a hanyou.

No matter what people believed about Kagome, the fact remained that they were all frightened of her and wanted her to be gone from their land. Miroku and Sango feared that some of the villagers would try to remove Kagome from their forest by force. They did their best to combat the rumors and ease their fears, but it wasn't long before they had to agree with some of the things the villagers said. Kagome was _not_ human. She was something else, something not to be provoked. The person they once knew was gone and the Shikon no Tama was in control.

It was not long before Shippou was the only living company Kagome allowed near her for any extended period of time, his constant presence a slight comfort in her grief. He brought her food and water and coaxed her to eat and drink. Each day he tried repeatedly to reach her, but she often refused him even the simplest of glances. Come rain or shine, she would not move. With the untransformed Tetsusaiga held tightly in her lap, she kept careful vigil over Inuyasha's grave while Shippou kept careful vigil over her.

As the stories about the events that lead to the completion of the jewel traveled the countryside, humans with evil in their hearts and youkai seeking power were drawn to her. Man and beast alike came seeking the strength of the Shikon no Tama hidden within Kagome's body. Shippou had been frantic when the first youkai of any significant strength appeared and threatened Kagome's life. He tried desperately to ward off the youkai and lure it away from Kagome while begging the catatonic girl to flee for her life.

One of his cries finally penetrated her and she reached out to him, protecting him in her arms marking the first time she made a move toward him in weeks. His moment of joy was chased away as panic filled his senses. They had to get away, and they had to get away now.

He pleaded with her to run, but she would not leave the gravesite. Instead, she simply leveled her glare at the advancing youkai and destroyed him. There was no fuss or fanfare to the act, and no obvious signs of any effort on her part. She simply looked at the thing, her eyes gleaming unnaturally, her flesh suddenly hot, and then it was gone. It seemed as though its very essence had been sucked out of it leaving only a small pile of youkai flesh in its place.

Miroku said she had "purified" it. But from that point on, a pattern was born.

Each being that came to her seeking out the Shikon no Tama met the same fate. Some would be able to get within a few feet of her, while others barely made it into the forest -- but none left alive. The kitsune could not help but wonder if there would ever be a time when Kagome would mistake him for a threat and do to him what she had done to so many others.

Shippou hated it, but he felt forced to accept that the person he knew as Kagome was just a shadow now. The young human who refused to leave Inuyasha's grave looked like Kagome from all outward appearances, but her spirit was gone. The few times Shippou had seen that spirit gave him the hope he needed to stay by her side, but with each passing day that hope was steadily dashed.

He feared the day when she would simply stop breathing and he would have to bury her, too.


	5. chapter four :: half light

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.  
**chapter four : half light

* * *

One could not escape the tales of the young miko with a power as great and as fierce as Naraku. This woman-child, known as Kagome, carried the coveted Shikon no Tama within her flesh and killed her hanyou pet, along with her nemesis, Naraku and that walking corpse, Kikyou. The rumors and stories were as varied as the beings telling them. Some claimed she was youkai herself. They said she was a full-blooded youkai camouflaged by the flesh of a mortal girl. Others said she was neither human _nor_ youkai, she was simply the Shikon no Tama in the flesh and to consume or control her would grant one the powers of a god.

The stories often changed to fit the mood of the teller. The only consistency between all the tales was the fact that they were telling a tale of a "human" girl who allegedly killed Naraku and Inuyasha. In addition, this same human girl possessed the complete Shikon no Tama and she guarded it with unbridled ferocity.

The day finally came when one of those stories reached the ears of the youkai lord and firstborn heir of the western lands, Sesshoumaru, who listened with keen interest. Intrigued, the youkai lord left the comfort of his home in order to investigate the truth behind those tales and to locate the coveted Tetsusaiga.

He sensed her awakened power long before he laid eyes upon her. It was difficult to believe how much the woman-child had changed when last he saw her and his fascination was even further aroused when he witnessed her power first hand. He watched her for weeks afterward, trying to analyze her talents and abilities. She was indeed a force to be reckoned with and he respected her power, but it quickly became clear to him that she was a threat _only_ when someone or something approached her for the Shikon no Tama.

From what he could gather, she was protecting that which was hers. She ignored everything else.

Clearly, the woman-child had nothing to live for. From what Sesshoumaru could tell, it was the Shikon no Tama that was preventing her soul from abandoning her body. If it were not for the daily care from the kitsune cub, she would have sat there until she died of starvation. Never in all the years that Sesshoumaru lived had he ever seen a human appear more pathetic than she. To think that his brother's death would have such a profound effect on her shocked him.

Sesshoumaru felt nothing as the stories of his half brother's demise filled his curious ears. His first thought was of the sword. If his brother was unable or unwilling to use his inheritance to ensure his own survival, then he got what he deserved. Sesshoumaru did respect his half brother, if only for the fact that they shared the same paternal lineage. On many occasion, Sesshoumaru tried to teach Inuyasha how to survive in a fight. He tried to show him that there was no room for error on the battlefield, no time for distractions. As many times as that lesson was painfully demonstrated to him, Inuyasha still maintained his arrogance and foolishness.

Now he was gone, and killed by a human girl no less. It was that aspect of the story that intrigued him the most and yet surprised him the least. Sesshoumaru could not help but feel disgust at his younger brother's weakness toward human women. He was just like his father in that regard. A fool to his death.

Still, Sesshoumaru had met the woman-child on more than one occasion. He had spoken to her and witnessed the way she regarded the hanyou with his own eyes. The fact that she was responsible for his death did not make sense. Sesshoumaru could sense and smell the dormant abilities that the girl possessed the first time he laid eyes on her, but believed she was far too old to be able to learn how to use those abilities to her advantage.

Miko training started young, and she was already a woman by blood. The few times he witnessed her use her talents were under extreme duress. Sesshoumaru was certain that the events that lead to his brother's death were a result of her losing complete control of herself, and therefore, Inuyasha's death must have been purely accidental. He knew the young human was faithful to his brother regardless of what the rumors may say to the contrary. She was not the bloodthirsty monster that so many human and youkai alike claimed her to be.

Now, as the afternoon sun filtered through the trees, he stood before her, showing himself to her in plain sight. As he examined her from only a few feet away he had to stop himself from laughing at the absurdity of it all. This pathetic, filthy child was the great and fearful miko that was causing such a panic among his brethren. _This_ what the "thing" that the villagers prayed would soon die. She was skin stretched over bones. A trivial kill were it not for the Shikon no Tama within her. Indeed, a fearsome sight. It was amusing. Rin was more intimidating than she.

Still, there was a subtle aura about her that caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end, warning him. She may look pathetic, but she was not to be taken lightly.

"Give me the sword," he said simply, not expecting a response and not surprised when he did not get one. Her eyes never wavered or blinked, she simply stared.

"I know you can hear me. I do not seek that which belongs to you. I am here to take what is now rightfully mine."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her hand flinch around the sword hilt. "Your recently discovered power is nothing. I will take it from you by force if need be. Give it to me and I will allow you to continue to rot here next to my brother."

Her eyes finally moved in his general direction, still unfocused.

Sesshoumaru turned his head to look at something hidden within the bush, ignoring the slight movement from Kagome. "Rin."

A small girl clamored forward, her eyes wide as she recognized the woman covered in filth sitting beside a gravestone. "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Take that sword from the girl there," he pointed at Kagome, "if she moves, return to my side immediately."

The girl smiled, happy to be of use to her guardian. She approached Kagome cautiously, searching her face for any sign of recognition or resistance, but the older girl's eyes remained fixed and unblinking in Sesshoumaru's general direction. With a gentle but firm tug, the child pulled the sword out of Kagome's hands with ease and hastily returned to her guardian's side.

"Good," Sesshoumaru said quietly as he knelt beside her. "I will need you to carry this for me for a time. Hold it behind your head, against your back."

The girl looked confused for a moment and Sesshoumaru moved her small hands in the position that he wanted. She held that pose deftly as Sesshoumaru carefully tied the sword securely to her back, and then gently pushed her forward by the shoulder. "Go back to Jaken now. I want you to leave the forest."

The girl pouted for a moment as Sesshoumaru stood. "Rin, go."

Rin took a half step back and nodded. "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" she said with cheer just before running back the way she had come, calling out for Jaken as she went.

Sesshoumaru turned back to regard Kagome once more. He was surprised to find her looking back at him, her eyes reflecting life for the first time since he had started observing her.

"You still cannot use it," she whispered, her voice raspy and strained from disuse.

"It is sealed, but all seals can be broken."

With that, the eldest brother turned his back to her and walked away.

• • •

A familiar scent awoke Shippou from his deep slumber. Sleep filled eyes slowly scanned the area, seeking out Kagome and the thing that made his nostrils twitch. He inhaled deeply, allowing the fragrance to work over his mind bringing forth memories of where he had smelled such a scent before.

His eyes flew open as recognition came to him. _Sesshoumaru_

Instantly, Shippou was on his feet seeking Kagome and begging whatever gods cared about him would grant him his wish. He _had_ to reach her before Sesshoumaru did.

She was not at the grave.

His heart pounded in his chest and he scented the air again. He could still smell Sesshoumaru and Kagome, but their scents were fading. He walked around in circles in front of the grave, testing the air and earth. Finally, a strong scent grabbed his attention and he ran after it.


	6. chapter five :: a glimpse of moonlight

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.  
**chapter five : a glimpse of moonlight

* * *

The girl suddenly deciding to follow them was completely unexpected.

She was far enough behind that Rin and Jaken were unaware of her presence, but he could smell her clearly. He would not have thought twice about the fact that she was following them were it not for her atrocious body odor and scent of old blood clinging to her. Clearly, the human had not bathed in days, probably weeks, and the occasional shift of the wind nearly brought tears to his eyes, the scent was so bad.

He found it strange that she would leave his dead brother's side to follow them, yet make no move to retake the sword. She let it go easily enough. Rin took it from her without any fuss. She had not even whispered a protest. Yet the moment Rin faded from view, she spoke for the first time since he had started to observe her, and now she was following the Tetsusaiga.

It was curious, so he purposefully chose to walk rather than fly to take advantage of the opportunity to study her further.

Perhaps it was the Shikon no Tama driving her forward? On the other hand, perhaps it was that odd emotion human beings possessed called guilt? Either way, she was doing a surprising job keeping up with them, considering the state of her body. He could not help but wonder how long the girl could keep up her pace in her weakened condition. She was beginning to lose some ground with each passing moment causing Sesshoumaru's lips to twitch up at the realization.

It would not be long before he grew tired of her peculiarities and cut her down he reasoned. The world would be much more enjoyable with less human filth polluting his environment. For now, she was a good source of intellectual amusement and a decent distraction from Rin's incessant prattling and Jaken's constant whines. He was tempted to slow his pace just enough to encourage her to continue to push herself beyond her limits, to taunt her.

He would humor her until she dropped and he looked forward to finding out how long it would take that to happen. There was still some considerable amount of fight left within her. Sesshoumaru liked a good challenge, but he preferred his humans dead or terrified. Rin was the exception, an anomaly. There was not a day that went by since Rin had joined them that Sesshoumaru did not think of killing her.

Though he knew he would not... could not.

Sesshoumaru both loved and hated Rin. She was like a daughter to him, and she was a mistake. She was walking evidence that Sesshoumaru was more like his father than he cared to admit. She was proof that he had a weakness.

His father probably would have approved. Hell, the bastard probably would have been proud. His father's appetite for humans was perverse. Some youkai craved human blood, that was generally accepted… but his father held carnal desires for them. The Great Youkai Lord of the Western Lands took Sesshoumaru's mother as his mate long before Sesshoumaru was born, but he also took various human females as mates as well, often bringing them home to use more conveniently. Sesshoumaru's mother had to live with the shame of sharing her lifelong mate and lord with human filth. Now Sesshoumaru shared his home with that same human filth.

Sesshoumaru grimaced. Inuyasha was the one who took after their father, not him. Never him.

Nevertheless, there was Rin, giggling at Jaken while the woman-child stumbled behind him and he was walking, purposefully keeping her on their trail.

The woman-child was further evidence of his weakness, though she was less so. That truth alone sparked the desire within Sesshoumaru to be the one to break her, to kill her. Especially considering she was so loyal to the hanyou.

There had been opportunity before the hanyou's death for Sesshoumaru to cut down the bitch. Several opportunities. Yet, the youkai lord did not take those opportunities. In fact, he even protected her once and saved her from certain death by one of Naraku's many puppets. Sesshoumaru did not hate the girl too much. He respected her miko abilities and he respected the claim the hanyou had on her. It was what her existence implied about him that he hated.

If he killed her, it would be easier to kill Rin.

He glanced down at the child running along side him. Occasionally she would pause in the meadows to pick a flower or pay attention to a scampering creature. She felt his eyes upon her and looked up at him, a wide smile on her face.

He hated when she did that. She was not supposed to be able to invoke warmth within him. He was not supposed to care about her or the woman-child trailing behind them.

Unconsciously, Sesshoumaru's strides narrowed just slightly and he sniffed the air, checking on Kagome's progress. A frown momentarily appeared on his face when he caught the scent of the approaching kitsune. He clenched his jaw, feeling oddly disappointed. The kitsune was going to _help_ her, which made humoring the woman-child suddenly less fun.

His amusement spoiled and his mind swirling with thoughts of his father, Sesshoumaru called Rin to his side and summoned the group into the air.

• • •

"Kagome... Ka-go-me!"

The girl did not pause in her strides, nor did she double her efforts in response to Shippou's calling. The boy grabbed her hand as she walked, attempting to force her to stop. "What are you doing?!"

"He took the sword," she muttered quietly, "but he cannot use it."

Shippou let go of her hand in shock, eyes wide. "Wh-what... the sword..." he whispered, his mind still numb with surprise.

Kagome continued as though she did not hear him, constantly maintaining a steady gap between her and the sword. She stumbled occasionally, but quickly corrected herself. Her eyes never moved from the sight of the small girl with the untransformed sword tied to her back.

"Kagome! Kagome, stop!"

The girl ignored him and continued determinedly.

"Kagome?" Shippou's young voice cracked, clearly frustrated and frightened. "Wait, Kagome. Please wait..." Shippou trailed off, falling slightly behind her. A tear rolled down his cheek as she persisted in ignoring him. His heart broken, he asked, "Is that... is that really _you_ in there, Kagome?"

Unblinking eyes swerved down to gaze at the child as she ceased her pursuit. Shippou quickly glanced in Sesshoumaru's direction and saw him take to the air, preventing them from following any further. A sigh of relief escaped his lips and he felt thankful that Kagome had finally stopped and not wandered too far from Kaede's village.

"She is here. We are one." Kagome said simply as she looked down at the child. The girl tilted her head to one side, her eyes going blank for a moment. "She will awaken soon. Her heart mends."

The cub scratched behind his head, feeling suddenly nervous. She was speaking so strangely in a voice that was not her own... it made goose-bumps rise on his flesh. The rumors the villagers circulated about Kagome started to come back to him, urging him to ask the question that has been nagging at him for months. "Are you... human?"

Kagome paused, considering. "We are one."

Shippou frowned, not understanding what she meant. "Who is 'one'? I don't understand."

"Kagome. Shikon no Tama."

Vague understanding filled Shippou. _Is the Shikon no Tama a living thing?_ Shippou shook his head. That had to be what she meant, though he was not certain. In any case, what Sango said seemed to be true. The Shikon no Tama _had_ possessed her somehow. He did not understand the how's or why's of it. As far as he knew, the Shikon no Tama was just a magical item… an inanimate object, a tool. Yet, that assessment appeared to be incorrect. Presently, it did not matter. There were other concerns weighing upon Shippou's young shoulders.

"Why are you following Sesshoumaru? He's dangerous."

Kagome blinked at Shippou as though she didn't understand the question. "We are… related."

Bright blue eyes suddenly became very wide. "What?!"

"We are related."

"You're related to Sesshoumaru?"

"No," she peered off in the direction Sesshoumaru had disappeared. "The sword and we." Kagome began to study the forest around her, seeking something, while Shippou gazed as his feet trying to understand what she was saying.

"H-how is that possible?"

Without answering, Kagome started to head north, forcing Shippou to follow her again. She was not heading back to the grave, nor was she heading in the direction Sesshoumaru had been following. Shippou took a deep breath, feeling eased that she had given up her sudden quest.

"Where are you going now?"

She did not answer, but remained on course through the dense vegetation. The boy followed her silently, curious to know what she had in mind.

They reached a clearing that opened to a widening of the river that cut through Inuyasha's Forest. She paused by the bank, looking around in muted confusion before settling herself down at the edge of the water. Then she cupped her hands together and began to drink.

After several moments she said, "Shippou."

The boy approached her quietly, watching her with wide, curious eyes.

"We would like something to eat."

A strange look appeared on her face, giving one the impression that she was frightened and confused.

"We feel very... weak... _sick_."

"I know.

The kitsune cub bit his lip, his eyes filling with tears. He could no longer resist the urge to throw his arms around her neck; he was so full of joy. This was the most she had spoken to anyone since the burial. All of the sudden, it didn't matter to him anymore that she had been following Sesshoumaru or that her vocabulary and voice sounded strange.

She was finally coming back to him. She wanted to get better.

She wanted to _live_.

His hands locked around her neck and he sobbed softly against her chest. Tears of frustration, relief, fear and happiness all coursed down his face and soaked the fabric of her torn and soiled school uniform. She did not respond to his hug, but she did not push him away either.


	7. chapter six :: brightness of truth

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.  
**chapter six : brightness of truth

* * *

"I doubt even a very strong and talented miko would be able to remove this seal… and no youkai will be able to." The ancient hawk eagle youkai peered intently at the Tetsusaiga, his talons clutching at the dirt in an anxious gesture. "It is a beauty. Very, very beautiful."

Sesshoumaru pursed his lips together in a frustrated gesture. If Tsume did not know of a way to break the seal, then it was very likely that the seal could not be broken. Once again, Sesshoumaru felt his father's greatest treasure slipping from his grasp.

"When I was a hatchling," Tsume began, "there were many strong and talented mikos. Now there are very few. The last strong miko I knew of lived almost a half century ago. Very talented, that one."

"She's dead."

"Yes, yes. Killed by that abomination. Yes. I heard a tale that she was resurrected."

"She was," Sesshoumaru said dryly as he plucked a bit of lint from his robes in an attempt to not have to look at the hawk eagle. Even in the human form that Tsume assumed, he still maintained his eagle eyes. They never settled on one spot. His eyes constantly searched and danced about in frenzy. One could easily mistake his rapid eye movements for fear or excitement, but it was just Tsume's nature. Regardless, the shiftiness of his eyes bothered Sesshoumaru on an instinctual level. It made him want to slash at him.

"I see. Well then, I do not know of anyone who can break this seal for you. It's a pity." He paused and looked at Sesshoumaru, his eyes filling with mischief. "Your father was a rascal, wasn't he? Placing a seal like this on the sword. He had quite the sense of humor, did he not?"

Sesshoumaru said nothing as he shifted his eyes from his clothes to the sword. He did not care to discuss his father with anyone, especially Tsume. The bird had a knack for pulling just enough information out of a person to toy with them psychologically. Sesshoumaru had known the youkai since he was a child, though he had not seen him in over a century. Sesshoumaru learned early on the best way to deal with him was to ignore him when he started to act… ornery.

Tsume noticed Sesshoumaru's shift in mood and forged on with the relevant subject, an amused grin filling his face. "You say your brother was able to wield it?"

Sesshoumaru glanced back up at Tsume. "Half brother."

"The hanyou."

Amber eyes glared at the bird. He knew very well that Sesshoumaru's only sibling was a hanyou. Tsume was being obtuse specifically to annoy him.

"Hmmm," Tsume absently smoothed his feathers lining his face. "That's odd."

"And why is that?"

"Well," the elder youkai drawled, "your father was a funny one. Very crafty. He requisitioned two swords to be created, one for each brother. Inuyasha inherited a youkai slayer and you, Sesshoumaru, inherited a sword that bestows life. Crafty, very crafty… but your father was always trying new things and experimenting, wasn't he?"

Sesshoumaru's claw shot forth, slashing Tsume's collar as he held the bird in a chokehold. His limit of patience was close to being reached and Sesshoumaru wanted nothing more than to decapitate the annoying youkai.

Tsume coughed and gagged, but the smile in his eyes did not dim. Sesshoumaru felt a tremor move through him and he hastily dropped Tsume, causing him to stumble backward and land squarely on his behind.

"Your games are as bothersome now as they were the last time I saw you."

"And you are as an easy a target now as you were the last time I saw you, too."

Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw, his rage sparking within him again. If the youkai before had been anyone else, he would have been nothing more than a mess soaking into the earth. It was only the last few shreds of respect that Sesshoumaru held for the ancient bird from his youth that protected Tsume's life.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru called, his eyes never leaving Tsume, "gather the sword. We are taking our leave."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama. Rin is coming!"

Tsume stood and dusted himself off carefully. "I wasn't done yet, Sesshoumaru."

"I do not care."

"I think you do. I have an inkling you may wish to hear." The bird let his eyes wander over the young girl gathering up the sword. "She looks tasty, she does. The young ones are delicious. She is wasted on you."

Sesshoumaru rested his hand on Rin's shoulder in a possessive gesture. She seemed wholly unaware of the implications and subtle threat of Tsume's comment as she smiled at him happily, mesmerized by his sparkling eagle eyes and feathered body. Sesshoumaru squeezed her shoulder gently, prompting her to stare up at him wide-eyed, the sword and bird youkai instantly forgotten. He pushed her behind him in a protective fashion, forcing Tsume to look at him again. "Say your peace."

"Ah, yes. What was I saying?" He smiled with false innocence. "Yes, yes… your father sealed the Tetsusaiga and hid it in his grave where neither you nor your brother could draw it, but a woman could." Tsume tapped his cheek with a talon-like finger as he paused. "Don't you think that's odd?"

Rin kept poking her head around Sesshoumaru to get a look at the bird youkai, who would peer back at her just as intently. She wanted to play with the strange looking being talking to her Sesshoumaru-sama, and he most certainly wanted to play with her. A quick flick to her cheek caused Rin to immediately calm down and she stood quietly behind her guardian, waiting for him to finish.

Sesshoumaru was growing impatient once again. He simply wanted an answer. He wanted to know if the seal could be removed or not, and if so how. It was a simple, reasonable request but Tsume was more interested in salivating over Rin and playing detective on Sesshoumaru's time. He would none of it.

"I find it _odd_ that my father would take a human mistress to keep, impregnate her, and then bring her to our home to live, _permanently._"

Tsume's eyes stopped dancing about erratically to regard Sesshoumaru, a smile playing about his lips. "I am angering you again, am I not?"

The dog youkai said nothing as he peered back at Tsume, intensity in his eyes.

"So protective. Very well. You assumed the seal was placed upon the sword to prevent just _any_ youkai from wielding it, correct?"

"I assumed the seal was placed upon the sword to protect my father's human whore after he passed on."

Tsume smiled, amused. "And yet, she is dead. Is she not? Died unnaturally, yes?"

Sesshoumaru breathed deeply, waiting.

"What I am seeing as I examine this sword has nothing to do with protecting mortal lovers, nor does it necessarily relate to preventing specific beings from wielding the sword. The seal may _act_ that way, but that is not the true nature of the seal."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, "Continue."

"It chooses its master," Tsume said, crossing his arms over his chest.

An eyebrow shot up and amber eyes sparkled angrily, "Are you saying it _chose_ that girl?"

"Yes. She was able to draw it out; therefore, she must have _some_ level of control over it because it _gave_ her that control. The seal is now related to her." His hand hovered a few centimeters over the sword as he examined it again. "She must have wanted the hanyou to be able to use it. That's my guess."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "That does not make sense. I was able to wield it and tap into its power using a human arm. If what you say is true, I should not have been able to use it."

"How were you able to use a human arm? You should only be able to use youkai flesh."

"Shikon no Tama."

The hawk eagle emitted a high pitched chortle-like sound which Sesshoumaru recognized as laughter.

"Your heart must truly ache for this sword then!"

"Why are you trying my patience?"

Tsume shrugged, but his smile did not fade, "I'm too old to fear death." A ping of sympathy stabbed at Tsume and he cleared his throat, "I am sorry, Sesshoumaru. I meant no offense."

"Tell me what you wish to tell me so that we may be on our way."

"Fine, fine," the bird nodded, "I'm not sure why you were able to use it. I'm just telling you what I see here." He paused again, "Perhaps it is because she believed as you do regarding the nature of the seal? On the other hand, it could be that the girl was able to change the nature of the seal during a desperate moment. Again, I do not know… but she is connected to the sword. Tetsusaiga appears to have a will of its own. You may never be able to wield it -- but as far as this seal goes, I can see the threads within it linking it to her. There is no doubt."

"What do you suggest then? The girl of whom you speak has no will to live and no concept of her abilities."

"Is that so? She seems to be very gifted." The bird paused, staring deep within the sword, "Tell me about her."

"She was my half-brother's bitch." Sesshoumaru said, not bothering to keep the venom from his voice. He wanted nothing more than to leave the mountain and return to his home. Seeing Tsume reminded him too much of his youth. "Her name is Kagome. She comes from a distant land, I know not where. She was not trained. That much is obvious. She was rumored to be the reincarnation of that miko called Kikyou, but her scent does not match. She killed Naraku, the miko corpse and Inuyasha. Apparently she now possesses the complete Shikon no Tama and it resides within her body."

"Oh, ho!"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the youkai.

"Reincarnation, indeed! She _is_ the Shikon no Tama." Tsume's eyes began to dance once more, this time his excitement was palpable. "I suspected that the jewel would assume the flesh someday. No wonder the sword is connected to her. She _is_ the jewel."

Tsume stepped closer to Sesshoumaru, his voice low and intense. "If you want this seal removed and wish to be able to wield this sword, she is the one to do it. No one else can do it but her."


	8. chapter seven :: sun and moon

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.  
**chapter seven : sun and moon, part one

* * *

According to his sources, the woman-child and her kitsune pet were looking for _him_. The woman-child was surprisingly accommodating, saving him the time and effort to locate her. The pair had been steadily making their way toward the western lands, purposely avoiding interaction with humans but still attracting youkai.

The girl was a moving target now, attracting weaklings to her like a moth to a flame so Sesshoumaru had purposefully made the path to him plainer. He was anxious to break the seal, but he wanted her to come to him. It would be easier to engage her on his territory where he held the advantage and controlled the rules of the game.

In the meantime, Sesshoumaru kept busy preparing for her arrival and studying the legends surrounding the jewel.

He had first learned of the Shikon no Tama from Tsume when he was a child. Tales of the effects of the jewel caught Sesshoumaru's imagination and he enjoyed the idea of possessing it. The Shikon no Tama would be an easy way to gain strength and the temptation to possess it was strong.

Tsume fed that temptation by continually filling his young ears with the story of the woman responsible for the birth of the Shikon no Tama and the power held within it. Finally, he went so far as to hint that Sesshoumaru would do well to acquire it someday in front of the youkai Lord of the Western Lands. Sesshoumaru's father immediately interrupted them, telling Sesshoumaru that he was of noble and powerful blood and had no need for such inane trinkets.

Immediately Sesshoumaru felt shamed, and from that point on he closed his ears and mind to anything having to do with the jewel. He focused instead on making himself as strong as possible to prove himself worthy to his father.

It was not long after that did his father's focus shift from being the strongest, most powerful youkai in all the lands to satisfying his growing carnal desires for mortal women. Sesshoumaru felt the weight of shame bearing down on him, causing him to distance himself from his father. Shortly thereafter, Inuyasha had been born and Sesshoumaru's mother chose death over life as a rejected mate.

After the death of his mother, the youkai Lord had a slight change of heart. He realized his mistakes, but did nothing to remedy them. Inuyasha's whore of a mother still slept in the same bed next to his father and Inuyasha had run of the estate. Sesshoumaru, and his mother, had been betrayed again.

Sesshoumaru hated the mortal woman, but he hated his father more. Inuyasha was an innocent consequence of his father's weakness. The child was blood and Sesshoumaru came to respect that, there was no grudge between them. It was when Sesshoumaru learned that his father willed the sword to Inuyasha did the loathing for his sibling begin.

Inuyasha had never understood that. He had inherited his mother's annoying habit of jumping to conclusions, behaving irrationally and taking things for granted. As far as the hanyou was concerned, Sesshoumaru was a sadistic, jealous older brother with murderous intent toward everything that Inuyasha cared for. If that had been true, Sesshoumaru would have killed Inuyasha's mother, the miko, Kagome and the rest of the members of his little group long ago. As it was, he did not give a damn about the company Inuyasha kept while he was alive, except now.

The only desire in Sesshoumaru's heart now was to see his brother's bitch and make her break the seal protecting the Tetsusaiga. However, he still was not quite sure how he was going to persuade her to do it. He was certain that she was not even aware she was the one in control of the seal and the sword to begin with.

If she was not aware of the power she held over the Tetsusaiga, how was he supposed to make her carry out his wishes?

• • •

"This is it, Shippou," Kagome paused, carefully taking in the scenery. "This is the threshold to Sesshoumaru's domain."

Shippou studied the land before him and frowned. He could tell no difference from the forest they were currently walking through to the forest immediately ahead. It all looked the same to him.

"How do you know?"

Kagome glanced down at Shippou and smiled, "We just know. Once we pass those trees there, we will be in the Western Lands."

Kagome regarded Shippou for a long moment, and then kneeled down to look him in the eyes. "Are you sure you want to come with us? We do not know what will happen once we enter his domain. We'd feel better if you didn't come, Shippou."

"I told you, I want to come."

The girl smiled and nodded. "We just don't want to see you get hurt." Kagome affectionately stroked Shippou's head and cheek, her face reflecting a smile but worry clouding her eyes. "He's waiting for us. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready."

"Alright then," Kagome said as she straightened.

It had taken them almost two months to reach the Western Lands. In that time, Kagome had slowly continued to come back to herself. Her vocal tone and vocabulary sounded more familiar and she smiled more often.

Only when she sensed danger did the sound of her voice change and she reverted to referring to herself in the plural form. Occasionally, she would even talk to herself and make frequent reference to a woman named Midoriko. Shippou recognized the name. Midoriko was the woman responsible for the creation of the Shikon no Tama. It was supposed to contain her soul, trapped in an eternal struggle against a demon of immense power and hatred.

As odd as it was, Shippou was slowly beginning to adjust to the duality that existed within Kagome -- one being Midoriko and the other Kagome -- though he had a difficult time understanding it.

It was not until they neared the end of their journey to Sesshoumaru's domain did Kagome consistently refer to herself in the plural, though she retained her affection and kindness toward the kitsune cub.

Shippou knew that his senses were no where near as developed as Sesshoumaru's, but that did not prevent him from constantly scenting the air and rotating his ears toward the faintest of sounds. If Sesshoumaru was expecting them, then they could not afford to let down their guard.

The sun dipped well below the horizon when they decided to camp for the night. Shippou's nerves were already on edge as visions of an angry, powerful Sesshoumaru filled his mind. Kagome seemed more concerned about comforting him and easing his fears than she was at the actual threat of Sesshoumaru killing them in their sleep. She promised Shippou that she would stay up and keep watch for the youkai for part of the night and Shippou could stay up for the rest. The solution seemed easy enough and Shippou agreed to it readily. He trusted Kagome completely and was thankful for the chance to get some much-needed sleep.

The boy should have known better.

Morning came quickly, the bright light alarming Shippou into full wakefulness. His sudden start awoke Kagome, who held him securely in her arms and both peered around them in trepidation and confusion when a loud and commanding voice caught their attention.

"You are trespassing."


	9. chapter eight :: candescence

**AN -- PLEASE READ:** In an attempt to at least try to make this fanfiction fit in with the Inuyasha manga more accurately, I changed the name of the villain from Akuma to Magatsuhi. When I wrote this in 2002, the youkai that Midoriko had fought against had not been named, but he was always the one I wanted to write about.

Since learning that Midoriko and this unnamed demon were both trapped within the jewel and "destined to fight forever until someone was able to destroy the Shikon no Tama" I felt more confident about my opinion of who (and what) Kagome really was. I always thought it was just too bizarre that a reincarnation of Kikyou would be born with a jewel inside of her. Plus the whole thing about Kagome's soul being "so large," etc.

Well, after hearing about Midoriko, I felt more confident in my belief that Kagome was in fact a living, human extention of the jewel -- and the miko (Midoriko) trapped within. The reincarnation of Kikyou bit was only a very minor part of who Kagome really was.

So, long story short (haha) Akuma was always supposed to be Magatsuhi in this fic. Though my background of him, etc. is not totally correct. But, hey, welcome to the wonderful world of fanfiction. :)

I hope that doesn't cause any confusion for anyone reading this a second time. ;)

* * *

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
chapter eight : candescence

* * *

Kagome stood quickly, placing herself between Sesshoumaru and the kitsune cub. He regarded them both as carefully as they regarded him, each sizing up the other and both unwilling to be the first to make any sudden moves.

Shippou gritted his teeth and immediately stepped away from the miko shielding him. His movements were not lost on Sesshoumaru, who watched him reposition himself with faint interest. The boy had to know that he was no match for the Taiyoukai.

Sesshoumaru was not like the other youkai who lusted after the jewel. His power was great enough that he did not need it. No other youkai could make that claim and that fact alone made him an unpredictable opponent.

Kagome's voice rang clear, echoing with the duality that Shippou recognized from the night Inuyasha died. An unconscious chill ran down his spine.

"You have not been able to break the seal."

A pale eyebrow rose, curiosity glinting in his eyes. "Are you here to retake the Tetsusaiga?"

"No."

"Good. I do not intend to hand it over to you." He paused, watching her carefully. Her voice was wrong. It contained two distinct tones. "Why have you entered my lands without permission if you do not seek to retake the sword?"

Her eyes darkened. "We are drawn to it. It calls to us."

Curiosity piqued, "It called you here?"

"Yes, it needs us and we need it. We are related."

Sesshoumaru heard Tsume's words echoing in his mind, '_She was able to draw it out; therefore, she must have some level of control over it because it gave her that control. The seal is now related to her._'

We are related.

_We._

"Tetsusaiga is related to the kitsune brat there?" The youkai lord asked as he gestured toward Shippou, already knowing that her use of "we" had nothing to do with the kitsune cub.

"The child is ours, he has no relation to Tetsusaiga. He comes of his own free will."

"Then explain who is 'we.'"

"Midoriko. Kagome," she said, voice strong and confident. "The barrier that seperated us has been broken. We are united as one."

Midoriko. Sesshoumaru had not heard that name since he was a child. She was a human with unbelievable spiritual power. So much so that many youkai referred to her as Shinigami, certain that she was the god of death in mortal flesh. She could draw out of souls of ten youkai at once. No other Miko was feared as much as she, not even Kagome or her predecessor, Kikyou. Midoriko died long ago, her death forming the Shikon no Tama. The woman-child was a gifted Miko in her own right, but if both Midoriko and Kagome were united as one then nothing could be taken for granted.

He moved slowly toward the girl, carefully gauging her reaction. Her clear blue eyes shined brightly as she watched him, but he did not sense fear from her. What he could sense from her was something else. Something he could not quite name, but something similar to what he sensed from Rin the first time she came to him.

Trust, perhaps?

It was preposterous, but he could not deny his senses. Perhaps she, too, knew she was his equal and had nothing to fear from him. Perhaps she was a fool like Rin, naïve to a fault. Either way was acceptable to Sesshoumaru. An opponent who felt comfortable often let down their guard and death quickly followed.

As he stood before her, he inhaled her scent deeply. Searching for clues to further explain the presence of Midoriko, he instead found himself strangely pleased at the soft uniqueness of her scent. She had taken up bathing again, but there was still a scent that lingered on her that could not be washed away. The scent of the jewel radiated from her. Its fragrance stronger now than it was when he saw her last. The will to live and an unnatural wisdom glowed in her eyes when she looked at him. She had changed quite a bit since he last saw her. She was slowly changing even before his very eyes.

"I heard something interesting about you." He said softly, almost intimately. "I heard you are the only one who can break the seal that keeps me from wielding Tetsusaiga. Is that true?"

The kitsune cub looked up at Kagome nervously, not liking the proximity of the pair.

"The sword calls for us. It is..." she trailed off, searching for the right words. Sesshoumaru tilted his head as he waited for her to answer him and watching her eyes cloud once more with a strange confusion.

"The sword is necessary," she murmured after a time. "We need it, we need you."

He looked at her smugly, "You need? Explain yourself."

"We... we are being hunted. Magatsuhi is drawing near, the swords..." Kagome paused, her brows drawing together. The duality of her voice was becoming muddied, as though one voice was trying to speak over the other. She hesitated a moment longer, then "Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga can free us and correct past mistakes."

It was then that Sesshoumaru felt a tangible shift of power within her. Eyes slowing drifting shut and face passive, the girl stood still and quiet. Her calm felt unworldly given the strange sensations he was sensing from her.

When her eyes finally opened again they were no longer the blue color he was familiar with, but a deep, dark brown. Her stance changed as well. She no longer stood like an uncertain, yet angry, woman-child. Instead her muscles tensed for violence if need be, causing Sesshoumaru to automatically assume a defensive posture ready to act offensively if necessary.

The sudden shift roused his blood with unexpected excitement. She felt powerful. And she was clearly ready to do battle with him if necessary. Curiosity streaked through his veins as he wondered at the little Miko girl was capable of. Was the display of power just for show or could she back it up? He'd seen her dispatch the youkai that sought the jewel at Inuyasha's grave, but they were nothing compared to him.

As though reading his thoughts, the corners of the girl's lips twitched upwards. She said nothing, but her expression revealed her thoughts. He was tempted to smirk in reply, but did not. Keeping himself in check, Sesshoumaru maintained his stoic facade as he pushed aside his excitement. The Tetsusaiga was far more important to him than testing her limits as an adversary, though if given the opportunity, he would not waste it.

She smiled at him suddenly, revealing perfectly straight, white teeth.

"You are the one," she said finally with a voice and accent that sounded foreign to his ears. The battle-hardened voice stood out in a stark contrast coming from the youthful and innocent lips of the woman-child.

"Am I?" The youkai lord asked feeling faintly amused at her peculiar behavior. This was not Kagome speaking, Sesshoumaru realized. This was indeed Midoriko herself and she was in complete control.

"Aa. Magatsuhi interfered. He kept your brother alive when he should have died. We thought the hanyou was the one at first, but he was only a ruse to garner him more time." She blinked slowly, a small smile forming on her lips.

"And whom is this Magatsuhi?"

"He was a man who once asked me to marry him." Midoriko's voice stated with Kagome's flesh. "I refused. My work as a miko was not yet complete and he became angry. He believed that if he could finish my work for me that we would be able to be together. As a result, he became youkai and Magatsuhi was born."

"Is this Magatsuhi related to Naraku?"

"Aa. They are the same. Naraku is both son and brother of Magatsuhi. Naraku was spawned from the same darkness that begot Magatsuhi, but they are one once more."

She stepped closer to Sesshoumaru, scant inches from him she smiled oddly. "You are the one to destroy Magatsuhi using the Tetsusaiga."

Sesshoumaru smirked at her, "You speak as though I wish to help you. I do not. Magatsuhi can kill you and your bastard pet and take the jewel with him. I care not. My only concern is for the Tetsusaiga."

Her smile grew and she laughed, the duality slowly returning to her voice as her eyes sparkled with blue flecks. "You are ignorant, Sesshoumaru-_sama_."

The youkai lord bristled at the sarcastic tone in her voice, but said nothing.

"Do you believe the twin swords hold the power within them because they were formed from your father's tusks?" she asked, voice condescending. "How is it one sword heals while the other destroys? Do you think that you exist by chance? Do you think this body was born with the Shikon no Tama within her and crossed time by pure luck?"

She peered up at him, brazen and unintimidated. He seethed.

"You have a greater part to play than you realize," she continued. "Your destiny was sealed long before your father marked your mother. We do not care for the swords other than using them to fulfill their purpose. They are yours to keep, but we will not give you control over the Tetsusaiga until you desire to help us."

Jaw clenched, he said nothing. She inched toward him, a small smile playing about her features. Pitching her voice for his ears only, she whispered, "Keep a worthless sword and let us die, or help us and gain the most powerful weapon in existence. It is your--"

His rage at the boiling point, Sesshoumaru struck Kagome with the back of his fist. The impact sending her sprawling to the ground and earned a startled squeal from the kitsune cub. He ran to her side, his fear for her well-being wafting heavily into the air.

Sesshoumaru snorted. He had not hit the bitch hard enough to kill, though he wanted to. He felt some satisfaction at the scent of her blood, glad that he had wounded her infuriating face. He'd like to hit her again, but was disappointed that her display of power had been only that. A display.

Only dimly aware that brat was yelling at him, the Taiyoukai gazed at the unconscious girl. '_Keep a worthless sword and let us die, or help us and gain the most powerful weapon in existence._' Sesshoumaru sneered at the memory of her statement, but felt he had found his answer. Indeed, this could be the only way to claim the Tetsusaiga as his and his alone.


	10. chapter nine :: contrast

**.:All of My Tomorrows**:.  
chapter nine : contrast

* * *

The kitsune cub tried to keep Sesshoumaru away from the unconscious girl, using every spell and trick he knew to no avail. When the youkai lord grew tired of the cub's constant protests, he flung the child away, completely unconcerned about his welfare before turning his attention to the fallen girl.

Turning her over onto her back, Sesshoumaru inspected her for injuries. The only wound he could find was the diagonal cut along her cheekbone. The cut he could smell long before he gave her a brief examination. The woman-child was fine otherwise. Impatient to return home, Sesshoumaru decided not to wait for the girl to come back to her senses. He bent down to gather her up in his arms when her most delicate fragrance washed over him, causing him to pause suddenly.

The girl was in the first stages of being in heat. The scent was so faint and soft that he almost doubted he smelled it at all.

Leaning closer to her, he scented her again, deeper, causing his body to react against his will. A quiet growl sounded from deep within his throat, expressing his frustration and annoyance. He very suddenly did not want to carry her anywhere, let alone _touch_ her, but regardless of her cycle, he could not leave her. Grasping her small wrists in one hand, he started to drag her instead, tearing part of her kimono and scraping her exposed knees in the process. Instantly enjoying his impromptu dose of petty revenge, a smug smile appeared on his face as he glanced down at the girl.

Yes, he would drag her, and he would take the long and muddy way back.

The kitsune cub was a persistent little pest. As soon as Sesshoumaru started to drag the girl away, he immediately began to follow them. The cub's increasing proximity to the girl coupled with the scent of youkai adrenaline emanating from him was a nuisance that threatened to boil over. Sesshoumaru reached his limit when the child was just a few yards from the girl. Fueled by his vexation, raw instinct took over as Sesshoumaru paused and turned toward the kitsune child. His lips curled back slightly as he let a low growl vibrate from his throat.

The boy immediately froze in his tracks, understanding the menacing growl and look of warning reflecting in Sesshoumaru's amber eyes. Shippou remained frozen in place even after the youkai lord turned his back to him and started to walk away. Stupefied, the kitsune cub could only gawk as he tried to make sense of what his gut instinct was telling him. Surely, that growl didn't mean what he thought it meant... though it did sound vaguely familiar to a growl he once heard his own father make when he was very small. Shippou smacked the side of his head, trying to knock the preposterous thoughts from his mind.

The stress and strangeness of the situation must be affecting his mind. Satisfied with his ascertain and shaking his head in disbelief once more, Shippou bounded after them, careful to maintain a safe distance from the easily provoked youkai.

As they reached the bottom of a gently sloping hill, soft groans sounded from the girl as she began to wake. Sesshoumaru ignored her as he gripped her wrists harder, eliciting a moan of pain from the rousing female. She lifted her head and looked around slowly, feeling disoriented and confused as she watched the muddy earth move beneath her. Her eyes widened as she realized her situation. Her head shot up to glare at Sesshoumaru's profile angrily, her struggles becoming more frantic.

"Let me go!"

Without so much as a glance in her direction, Sesshoumaru released her hands and continued forward. The sudden loss of support caused her upper body to flop into the mud splashing the moist dirt all over her face and hair.

"Kagome!" Shippou yelled, rushing forward to meet her, instantly forgetting the implied treat he had received from Sesshoumaru earlier. Shippou helped push her up onto her knees, "Are you okay, Kagome?"

Shaking the mud from her hands and wiping it off her face she nodded, "Yeah... fine." A dark welt caught Kagome's attention and she grabbed Shippou's chin, tilting his head to one side to inspect the wound.

"Did he do this?"

"Y-yes..."

Without a word, Kagome was on her feet and stumbling after Sesshoumaru as quickly as she could, her movements hampered by her soiled kimono.

"Sesshoumaru!"

The youkai paused and turned toward the girl, a look of amusement in his eyes. The entire front side of her body caked in mud. It clung to her hair and skin and smeared across the fabric of her kimono. A lovely dark bruise was starting to form on her cheekbone and the scent of dried blood tickled at his nose pleasurably. On top of that, she was glaring at him angrily, her eyes sparkling with rage and her hands clenched at her sides. Even in her disheveled state, she still had a quality about her that, had she been youkai, Sesshoumaru would have called it beauty. But she was just a lowly human.

He almost smiled in satisfaction at the sight of her. The bothersome bitch got far less than what she deserved.

"Don't you _ever_ touch Shippou," she demanded. "Ever!"

"He got in my way," Sesshoumaru said, resisting a mocking smile. "If he does it again, I will not hesitate to reprimand him."

"I don't care what your reasons are for striking Shippou. Don't you touch him! I won't forgive you."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her, noting her speech had returned to normal before turning back around and proceeding down the path, no longer needing to suppress his smile.

"I did not kill him nor did I break any bones," he called back to them. "The child is youkai. You worry over nothing."

• • •

Sesshoumaru's home was guarded by magic and hidden by dense forest. Kagome could see two main structures from her vantage point. One looked to be the living quarters, with several rows of windows and balconies. It was constructed out of stones of varying size and Kagome suspected that the home was several hundred years old. It looked very well cared for with little or no signs of erosion. Thick vines of ivy clutched at the stony exterior with tall trees surrounding the castle casting swaying shadows across grounds.

Next to the castle was an even larger structure, several stories tall. Immediately Kagome guessed that the building must be a youkai version of a dojo. She imagined Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's father in that dojo, fully transformed and training themselves for battle, sharpening their skills to become more effective killers. The dojo was more than ample enough to accommodate a fully transformed Sesshoumaru, and from what Kagome recalled Inuyasha having told her once, Sesshoumaru was not yet fully grown.

The beauty of the terrain stood out sharply in Kagome's mind. Some distant part of her memory clicked to life as she gazed at the manor. She had seen this all before, most likely in a history book, though she could not recall of ever hearing of such a castle and dojo existing in the 21st century. Nevertheless, the memory was there.

As they continued to approach the grounds, Kagome felt her sense of awe steadily increasing. Sesshoumaru had always been such a dark and shadowy character in her mind that she never even considered him capable of living in such a beautiful place. She expected it to be dark and foreboding with torture devices hanging from the walls and wails of pain echoing from some dungeon hidden in the bowls of the castle. Yet, as her eyes took in her surroundings she felt slightly numb with surprise. She knew Sesshoumaru was not the evil villain that Inuyasha tended to make him out to be, not when he cared for Rin as he did. Somewhere within Sesshoumaru was a heart capable of feeling love and compassion; it was just hidden under several layers of arrogance, pride and anger.

Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome as she stepped through the threshold of his home, his eyes scanning her critically.

"You need to bathe," he said to her simply as though he were not the one responsible for the dirt coating the front of her body. "Jaken, take them to the bath and bring them some fresh clothes."

Jaken stepped forward and looked at the pair disgustedly, Kagome in particular. "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"And prepare a room for them in the west wing as well."

"Sesshoumaru-sama, wouldn't it be better if they stayed in the—"

"Just do as I say, Jaken," Sesshoumaru said as he disappeared from the room, leaving without so much as a nod.

The toad grumbled, "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama."

As Jaken lead the pair to the bath, Kagome felt an odd sense of déjà vu come over her, sparking the tired presence within her to stir. She knew she had never been in Sesshoumaru's home before, but she felt she had an unnatural grasp of the layout of the house. The feeling was unnerving and it continued to gnaw at her even as she lowered her freshly scrubbed body into the bath.

She pushed aside her uneasy feelings and tried to force herself to relax and enjoy the moment. It had been almost a year since she had taken a hot bath and it felt wonderful. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, feeling her muscles respond to the warmth.

A flutter from within caught her attention and a familiar voice filled her mind, '_He is fixing to killing us once he gets what he wants._'

A woman slowly began to materialize in Kagome's mind. Her long, black hair fell gracefully past her waist, she wore the combined armor of a general and miko. On her hip was a sheathed sword. She looked to be much older than she actually was because of the unusual wisdom reflecting in her dark, brown eyes.

Kagome smiled at her warmly, and Midoriko smiled back -- both recognizing each as an extension of the other.

'_I figured as much._'

Midoriko gave a short laugh; '_You see him as well as I. He is not a bad fellow, as far as youkai go. The center of his heart is more pure than he would like to admit; unfortunately, he is as stubborn as he is proud. That could be the death of us all._'

'_Is there no other another way?_' Kagome sunk deeper into the bath, her movements reflecting her discouragement. '_He scares me sometimes._'

The woman in her mind smiled at her gently. '_No, we need pure and powerful youkai blood. We need him._'

Kagome sighed, '_I wish things didn't have to be this way. I wish Shippou hadn't followed us here._'

Midoriko nodded, '_I do, too._'

The older woman regarded her descendent carefully, noting the sadness and worry that was settling in her soul.

'_Fight your hopelessness and take heart, little one. Kami-sama is watching out for us._'


	11. chapter ten :: refraction

**.:All of My Tomorrows**:.  
chapter ten : refraction

* * *

Shippou expected to have a difficult time the first night they slept in Sesshoumaru's home.

He fully intended to stay awake that first night and guard Kagome. He was scared for her after the way Sesshoumaru had struck her and subsequently dragged her. Particularly after the way the youkai lord had growled at him. Just remembering the fearsome sounds that emanated from deep within the dog demon's throat and the intense look in his eyes made Shippou's fur stand on end hours later.

Yet, there they were in Sesshoumaru's home, under his care. As far as Shippou could see, the situation was getting progressively worse, not better. Whatever it was that drove Kagome to Sesshoumaru's domain was in grave error. Sesshoumaru was no friend or ally; he was just as untrustworthy as ever and always would be. His goal was mastership of the Tetsusaiga. Their welfare held no meaning for him, so it was up to Shippou to keep alert for them both.

Youth had a way of causing the most well intentioned to forget the basics. Shippou was running on empty, though his nervousness lead him to believe otherwise. In her maternal way, Kagome insisted that Shippou lie down and rest for a while once the pair were shown to their room. After much whining and arguing, the kitsune cub finally gave in to the wishes of his adoptive mother and grudgingly complied.

Upon stretching out on the futon, an overwhelming need to sleep overrode the worries of his mind and he fell into a deep slumber only to awake with the first morning light of the new day. Part of him was angry with himself for falling asleep _(again)_ when he knew he should not and another part of him was thankful for the comfortable rest. He was even secretly pleased that Kagome, too, did not seem to have any trouble sleeping since arriving.

She needed the rest far more than he did.

In fact, her nervous disposition seemed to melt away the moment she donned the new kimono and obi provided for her by their host. Even the alien tone in her voice seemed to vanish, slowly leaving behind the Kagome that Shippou remembered from before Inuyasha's death. He felt somewhat at ease, regardless of the home where they currently stayed. A large factor in the ease Shippou felt was due to the scant few times they had any contact with their host.

It seemed as though Sesshoumaru was purposefully avoiding them, Kagome in particular.

Every morning a grumbling and cursing Jaken brought them fresh clothes, prepared a hot bath, made certain they were properly fed and then would leave them to wander the grounds at their leisure. He never mentioned Sesshoumaru to them directly and tended to disappear once his tasks were complete. This pattern repeated itself for nearly a week and in that time, they had seen the youkai lord only a handful of times. Shippou silently suspected that the reason Sesshoumaru was avoiding them was because of Kagome's scent. Inuyasha had done that, too, on the few occassions that he could get away with it.

The only friendly company that regularly visited with them was Rin. When she was not playing a game with Shippou, she was pestering Kagome, though the older girl did not seem to mind the attention. Rin quickly warmed up to both of them and became a near constant companion.

Rin seemed to idolize the older girl, constantly bombarding her with questions and requests. She would often ask Kagome "girlie" questions, like how to properly tie an obi or how to neatly braid her own hair. The older girl would always smile and comply with her requests leaving poor Shippou to watch in complete boredom. Rin seemed to especially enjoy it when Kagome styled her hair.

It was during one of these moments that Sesshoumaru decided to make an appearance. Both girls were immediately aware of his presence, though only one acknowledged him while the other remained silent, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

"Konnichiwa, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin smiled happily, looking at her guardian through the mirror in front of her. "Kagome is teaching Rin how to wear her hair."

Sesshoumaru's expression did not waiver as he moved to stand beside the two girls, watching Kagome as she finished tying a knot. The young woman tried not to let his scrutiny of her ministrations cause her to feel uneasy as she secured Rin's hair in place, but his intense gaze fell heavily upon her. He was watching her so closely that Kagome could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck, unnerving her further.

Once finished, Kagome cleared her throat, rested both hands on the girl's shoulders, and smiled forcefully at Rin's reflection, still unable to shake her unease. "You're all done, Rin-chan. Do you like it?"

The girl nodded eagerly, beaming. "Do you like it, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru fingered her dark hair, looking at it curiously. He tilted the girl's face from one side to the other in order to get a closer look at the braids on either side of her head. He poked at it once, then twice as though testing it.

"It is very nice, Rin," he said, voice void of emotion, though the young girl's face lit up as though he was singing her praises. "It suits you well. I think you should go show it to Jaken now."

Disappointment flashed in the girl's eyes as she understood the silent request of her guardian, but she did not protest. Without hesitation the girl got up from her seat and made her way to the door, only pausing once to glance back at the older girl, a broad smile adorning her young face. "Thank you, Kagome-oneesan!"

"You're welcome, Rin-chan."

Sesshoumaru watched the girl bound away before he turned his full attention to Kagome. She gazed back at him, uncertain what to say or do and wishing Midoriko to awaken and ease her sense of trepidation.

A pale brow rose on Sesshoumaru's face as he watched her emotions play out across her features. He made her agitated; he could see that quite clearly in her bright, blue eyes and was happy to sense that emotion from her the moment he started to watch her weave Rin's hair into a braid. His expression remained apathetic as he leaned closer to her, invading her personal space even more. He almost smirked when he was rewarded with the sudden flustered increase of her heartbeat.

Midoriko was clearly not in control, which left Kagome vulnerable to his small tortures.

"She asks you questions as if you were her mother."

Kagome blinked, startled by the odd statement. "Y-yes. She wants to know how to be a proper young lady."

"And she asks for your assistance? I will have to speak with her. She is obviously confused."

It took a moment for his words to sink in before Kagome realized that she had been insulted. "Hey! What are you trying to imply?"

The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. The change in his expression was so subtle that it could be easy to miss, but Kagome was certain she had caught an amused smirk lighting his features as he settled himself down across from her.

He watched her quietly for a moment, enjoying the sudden brightness reflecting in her eyes. She was more fun to play with when she was angry... or confused. "Where is Midoriko today? I do not hear her in your voice."

"She's... she's sleeping."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

"When I was... _mourning_... Midoriko made certain that I did not die. She took over until I was ready to face the world again."

"I see. You are weak and require her to be your crutch."

"No! That is not how it works at all!" Kagome felt her face begin to flush with anger and took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself.

"We are one half of the same being. Where she ends I begin." She smiled nervously as she trailed off, feeling embarrassed to be telling him such things, "At least, that's how she explained it to me."

A bored expression appeared on Sesshoumaru's face, but his eyes continued to regard her with scrutiny and twinkled with mild amusement. He idly tapped his index finger on the table beside him. "I care not."

Kagome pressed her lips together in annoyance. "Then why did you ask?!"

"I did not." Sesshoumaru said, studying her eyes and liking the fire he saw there. "You supplied all this information of your own free will."

"Uh! You're so arrogant."

"Should I not be?"

"It's annoying."

A slight smirk, "I am happy to annoy you."

Kagome gapped openly as she stared back at him, feeling very flustered with his attitude. He looked like he didn't care about anything she had to say, yet his eyes showed differently. Sesshoumaru was anything but easy to figure out. His entire being radiated with complexities, some subtle, some not so subtle. That complex inconsistency often caused Kagome to feel uncomfortable around him. His eyes sometimes reflected faint amusement or annoyance while his facial expression, body language or vocal tone told a completely different tale.

All at once, she realized that he was playing with her.

Kagome gritted her teeth as she tried once again to keep her anger in check, "What can I do for you, Sesshoumaru?"

"I don't want or need your healing magic."

Kagome looked at him incredulously. "Excuse me?"

Instead of speaking, the youkai lord pulled back his kimono to expose his left shoulder and missing arm. Kagome's brows knit together in confusion as she tried not to notice his bare chest and top of his abdomen. He waited for her to finish looking him over and meet his gaze before he gestured to his severed limb as though that would suddenly make sense to her.

Kagome blinked slowly, her expression betraying her perplexity. "What?"

"It is healing," Sesshoumaru said condescendingly. "You are the only one I know of capable of speeding up the process. I do not need your witchery, nor do I want it."

Kagome's face faltered, "I'm—I'm not healing you. I don't know how!"

The look of doubt on Sesshoumaru's face made Kagome even more annoyed. "I'm telling you the truth! Even if I could heal you, I wouldn't!"

"Do you mean to tell me that this Midoriko spirit can act without your knowledge or consent?" Sesshoumaru asked as he readjusted his kimono.

Kagome felt her anger drain away at the mention of Midoriko. Could Midoriko heal Sesshoumaru? Was she that powerful? Kagome's brows creased together as she thought about it. "I guess maybe she can," she said softly, "but I had no idea she was capable of it. I knew she was able to cause me to heal quickly, but I didn't know she was able to do that for someone else."

Sesshoumaru didn't bother to hide his amusement as he smirked mockingly at the girl. "I see. Such as when you were waiting to die next to my brother's corpse?"

Kagome's face flushed and she grit her teeth in response.

Sesshoumaru's smirk disappeared as his face returned to its familiar expression of apathy. She really was quite easy to annoy, he observed with pleasure before continuing his verbal barbs. "I believe humans call that 'being possessed.' Clearly you need an exorcism."

Kagome glared at him, "I can't believe you... Exorcism!?"

"How else will you rid yourself of a dead woman's spirit?"

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms. "Once Magatsuhi is no longer a threat," she said matter-of-factly, "Midoriko will move on to the afterlife and the Shikon no Tama will cease to exist."

A pale brow rose in questioning, "And then?"

"And then... if I live, I'll try to go home. If I can't do that then I'll go back to Kaede's village, I guess."

"You do not expect to live?"

"I expect Magatsuhi to die."

"You mean you expect me to kill Magatsuhi."

Kagome offered him a condescending smile. "You can't kill it by yourself."

"I cannot?" Sesshoumaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The most you can do on your own is delay it. Like Midoriko delayed Magatsuhi and I delayed Naraku. They are two sides of the same coin and they are united as one. The thing that calls itself Magatsuhi cannot be killed very easily. That's why we have to work together."

Sesshoumaru snorted and looked bored. "When are you going to break the seal that prevents me from the Tetsusaiga?"

Kagome shrugged and looked away from him, unwilling to tell him that she didn't know how to break the seal to begin with. She glanced over at him casually, "Maybe when you start being nice to me," she smirked, "I'll consider it."

Sesshoumaru leaned toward her, his sudden nearness causing Kagome's breath to catch in her throat, "I am being nice to you."

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken's voice echoed from the hallway, causing Sesshoumaru's gaze to break away from Kagome. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

The youkai lord leaned back in his chair and tilted his head in the direction of the sound, "In here, Jaken."

The toad entered the room in a rush, his eyes wide with fear. He approached Sesshoumaru with haste, not bothering to spare a glance at Kagome. "Tou- Toukijin is reacting to something, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Reacting?"

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama. It is starting to spill forth miasma."


	12. chapter eleven :: distortion

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
chapter eleven : distortion

* * *

Toukijin, Tetsusaiga's equal, was alive.

Like the Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga, it possessed a will of its own. Forged by Kaijinbou using the head of Goshinki, it was a sword destined to know the taste and feel of flesh, blood and bone. More importantly, it craved Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru suspected this when he brought the head of Goshinki to Kaijinbou. He wanted a sword with such cravings. He wanted an equal to the Tetsusaiga. If Inuyasha was capable of defending himself and the Tetsusaiga from Sesshoumaru, then he deserved to keep his inheritance. If not...

If not, then the hanyou never deserved the sword to begin with.

However, Sesshoumaru despised the Toukijin. It served its purpose, but wielding the thing was a wholly abhorrent experience. Anyone who tried to wield the sword became possessed by it, just as Kaijinbou had been. Sesshoumaru was the only one powerful enough to resist its evil lure and because of that, it had chosen him as its master.

The moment Jaken saw the Toukijin oozing miasma a cold chill went down his spine. Such an omen did not bode well. Without hesitation, Jaken fled the dojo and went in search of his Lord, confident that he would know what to do. Yet, as the two of them made their way up the steps that led into the dojo and toward the wall where the Toukijin hung, it was Sesshoumaru who was taken aback.

Toukijin appeared to be bleeding.

The liquid seemed to spurt out with every pulse of the sword, creating a puddle of the vile liquid on the floor beneath it. It was not just miasma oozing freely from the sword, but human blood as well. The scent of the miasma was dominating, but Sesshoumaru could detect the blood clearly. It smelled like old, diseased blood from a human corpse.

Covering the lower half of his face with his sleeve in the effort to help buffer the scent, Sesshoumaru stood several yards from the Toukijin, studying it intently. There was a faint glow surrounding the sword that grew slightly brighter with each pulse.

The assumption that the sword was reacting to something was a mistake. It was not reacting at all. It was calling to him, tempting him.

With that realization, the sword glowed brighter and lifted itself from the wall of its own accord. It hovered in mid air for a brief moment before flying toward Sesshoumaru at high speed. Yelping in panic, Jaken hastily hid himself behind his Lord, "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Sesshoumaru did not noticeably react as the sword came toward him. With a loud swoosh, it imbedded itself into the wooden floor directly in front of him, the blade vibrating from the impact.

Golden eyes examined the sword closely. It still bled. It still pulsed. Sesshoumaru knew without a doubt that the sword came to him because it wanted him to do something with it. It was poised in front of him as an invitation. It was begging him to wrap his hand around the hilt and wield it, use it. The longer Sesshoumaru peered at the sword, the more tempted he was to grasp it.

Not one to resist a temptation such as this, a clawed finger reached out toward it. His fingers hovered over the hilt, a hair's breath away from direct contact. Sesshoumaru felt a jolt pass through him as he placed one graceful fingertip to rest on the very top of the hilt.

An image of a beast youkai with a body covered in scales similar to that of a dragon and a face like a mortal filled his mind. It smiled at him and called him by name, whispering promises of immense power and vindication.

Jaken watched in fascinated horror as his master's hand slowly began to wrap around the hilt of the sword and lifted it up in front of him. His eyes no longer focused on Toukijin, but appeared distant and hazy as they slowly began to glow red. Sesshoumaru's entire body grew ridged as the air around him began to tingle and thrum with power.

He was beginning to transform.

"S-sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken whispered in alarm.

Sesshoumaru was gathering massive amounts of energy to him causing Jaken to stumble backward in shock. He had never seen his Lord pull so much ki around him at one time when no visible enemy threatened him. The part of Jaken's mind that valued his survival urged him to run, and he did. Even as he turned his back to his Lord to scramble away from him, he knew he had fully transformed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jaken saw Kagome standing on the steps just outside of the dojo, her eyes fixed on Sesshoumaru.

"What are you doing here, wench?" Jaken spat, momentarily forgetting the reason why he was fleeing to begin with.

The woman-child did not acknowledge him as she continued to peer intently at Sesshoumaru. Her small hands clenched and unclenched at her sides, whispering her unspoken concern. Jaken, curious to know what was happening for himself, followed her line of vision.

In the center of the dojo stood a fully transformed Sesshoumaru, poison dripping from his mouth and dissolving the wooden floor beneath his feet. Under his massive front paw lay the Toukijin. His entire body was tense and alert, ready to spring into action at any moment yet he did not move.

From Kagome's visage, the Toukijin seemed to be speaking to the youkai lord. His ears twitched occasionally as he listened to sounds only he could hear radiating from the sword and Sesshoumaru seemed to be contemplating it intently, his tail slowly swaying to and fro.

After several minutes, Sesshoumaru suddenly bent down and grasped the end of the sword in his mouth, growling loudly and painfully as the miasma coated hilt made contact with his flesh. With a quick and powerful jerk of his head, Sesshoumaru tore the Toukijin in two. The sudden motion sent of end of the sword flying from his mouth, hurtling it through the far wall of the dojo with a thunderous crash.

The resulting damage to the Toukijin caused the remaining half of the sword to spray miasma with every pulse, coating everything around it with the vile liquid. Sesshoumaru growled menacingly at the remains of the sword before vomiting his most potent poison directly onto it, instantly filling the room with a noxious gas and slowly dissolving the dying remains of Toukijin.

The miasma was clinging to his flesh and fur, burning him. It was the most painful sensation he had ever experienced in his life. He dared not lick the miasma in an attempt to clean it off him as his mouth was already bleeding and felt painfully raw from just grasping the hilt between his teeth. His only option was to go to the river and bathe; he did not think he had the strength to transform. Resisting the offer just presented to him sapped his strength far more than he bargained for.

The intense taste and scent of the miasma was causing his senses to fail him as he moved toward the exit. His movements felt slow and clumsy with having only one front leg coated with the burning miasma. As he made his way toward the threshold of the dojo, the blurred sight of the woman-child standing in his direct path caused him to suddenly pause.

She was making a pathetic sound he recognized as sniffling. As he strained to get a better look at her, he realized with surprise that she was crying. He watched with muted wonder as she began to slowly approach him, an odd expression of concern in her eyes. He was in no mood to deal with the woman-child and he growled at her softly, warning her to keep her distance. Sesshoumaru felt exhausted and had no patience left to deal with a mortal as peculiar as she. His only desire was to rid his body of the burning miasma.

She paused for a moment when he growled and gazed at him carefully. She smiled slightly, "Let… Let me help you, Sesshoumaru. I think I can get some of that miasma off of you."

He turned his head to get a better look at her. Her voice sounded normal, but the concerned expression on her face troubled him still. Did he not already tell her that he did not want or need her help?

"Please, Sesshoumaru. Let me at least try," she said quietly, as she began to approach him once more.

It was then that he realized that she was completely inside the dojo, surrounded by his poison and seemingly unaffected by it. He watched her with curiosity-filled eyes as she came to stand right next to his paw, poison surrounding her on all sides. She tilted her head back to look up at him and gestured toward his paw, "May I?"

Not waiting for him to respond, she placed her tiny hands on his paw and began to pull gently at the miasma. He immediately felt soothing warmth push away the pain and watched as the miasma seemed to evaporate from her hands.

Once finished, she stepped back from his paw and reached both hands up toward his face. Without thinking, he lowered his head toward her outstretched arms. Within moments, all traces of miasma were gone from him and he felt his body begin to heal itself of its own accord. Kagome smiled at him faintly, happy to have been able to help him. His amber eyes watched her fastidiously, giving her the distinct impression that he was looking right through her. The sensation immediately chased away her moment of happiness and replaced it with a feeling of timidity.

She did not know why his gaze was bothering her so much, but she immediately wanted a distraction. Kagome forced a smile on her face and opened her mouth to ask him why he had not transformed when he growled at her low and menacingly, the deep sound causing her chest to vibrate.

She stumbled backward from him, suddenly thrown off guard by his behavior. He growled again, louder, and took a single step toward her, causing her to fall on her backside as she stumbled down the steps and fell out of the dojo. With an undignified protest, the look on her face changed from shock to anger and she glared at him.

"Hey! I just wanted to help you! You don't have to act like such a jerk!" She threw him another indignant look as she began to pick herself up off the ground.

Sesshoumaru could smell her blood and knew she had cut herself when she fell. Part of him regretted causing her to fall, while another part of him reprimanded him for caring to begin with.

"I can't believe how arrogant you are," Kagome muttered as she dusted herself off.

Jaken hit her on the back of the head with his staff with a loud crack. The force of the blow caused Kagome to stumble forward and fall to her knees. "Do not speak to Sesshoumaru-sama so disrespectfully," he hissed. "You are as foolish as you are ugly!"

Another low growl sounded from Sesshoumaru and Jaken realized to his dismay that the youkai lord was growling at him. "S-sesshoumaru-sama?"

Kagome stood quickly and swatted Jaken soundly on the top of his head while his attention was diverted, not hearing Sesshoumaru's growl or noticing the amusement that seemed to reflect in his golden eyes while watching the exchange. "You stay out of this, you little freak!"

"How dare you!" Jaken shrieked as he rubbed the lump forming on top of his head. "I should kill you for your disrespectful behavior!"

"Disrespectful!? To who? You!?"

"I am a loyal servant of Sesshoumaru-sama. Being disrespectful to me is equal to being disrespectful to him!"

Kagome rolled her eyes at the toad and sighed loudly. "Oh, please."

Feeling suddenly bold, the toad youkai pounded the end of his staff against the ground for emphasis as he leveled a hateful glare upon Kagome. "The only reason you are here, you filthy mortal bitch, is because of your miko powers. You should be dead and buried with that hanyou brat! It is a shame you did not kill yourself as well as your bastard --"

A vicious kick to Jaken's crotch silenced the toad from further remarks as he cried out in pain and curled up into a ball on the ground. Kagome tightly clenched her fists to her sides and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry.

Jaken's words did not matter, she told herself, and Sesshoumaru's attitude should not upset her. They were not her friends and never would be. She should not let them get under her skin so easily.

Sesshoumaru was using her. She _knew_ that.

Feeling herself beginning to lose her internal battle against her emotions, she quickly fled into the house and disappeared into her room.


	13. chapter twelve :: glint inside

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.  
**chapter twelve : glint inside

* * *

The world seemed to be spinning uncontrollably leaving her dizzy and disconnected. She felt like she was falling into the motion and becoming part of it. Her eyes focused on the object before her and a shy smile found its way to her lips as it pulsed merrily at her. Kagome recognized it and the sphere recognized her, both seemed to reach out to the other. A true smile parted her lips and light up her eyes as it began to pull her into itself, surrounding her with warmth. A blinding light suddenly filled her senses and she squinted against it, anxious to see what it had to show her.

When her eyes adjusted to the light, she watched a chasm slowly open before her revealing several long and winding paths. All of the paths looked well worn and easy to travel as they carved their way through lush meadows and forests. Her eyes studied each path intently as she wondered which path was hers, knowing only one would lead to her appointed destination.

Then she saw it. A narrow path eroded with the passage of time called out to her, forcing her to see the chasm for what it truly was.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she studied the path. It looked treacherous and frightening with many twists and turns and risks she was afraid of taking. She shook her head as her eyes followed the route of the path.

She saw two corpses and recognized them as Shippou and Rin. She saw herself, broken and shamed. "N-no…"

"That is an illusion, Kagome," a familiar voice whispered from behind her, "That is what _it_ wants to do."

"I can't— I can't _face_ that. How am I supposed to defeat _that_ by myself?!"

"Kagome, it is trying to frighten you. It is trying to make you doubt."

She didn't hear him, "I can't!"

"Kagome—"

"Not me!" her voice broke, painfully revealing her youth and inexperience, "I—"

"You are the last one," the voice said sternly, interrupting her. "It is alright to be afraid, but it is not alright to not fight. You _know _this."

Dismay filled her heart and tears stung at her eyes, "What if I fail?" Squeezing her eyes shut, she started to cry, feeling very alone and very overwhelmed by what she had to do.

"Kagome, you will not be alone," the voice said quietly, filling her with a surprise sense of security. "Take a closer look at the end of the path."

"I saw the end."

"No, you saw what would happen if you failed. You saw what it wanted you to see. You did not see the outcome if you are successful, if you unravel the jewel."

"You'll help me?"

A reassuring hand squeezed her shoulder, "Kagome, _look._"

Kagome slowly opened her eyes and gazed out into the chasm once more, hesitantly seeking her destination once more. She stared at it for a long time, straining her eyes to see more clearly.

"Keep looking."

A sudden sense of reassurance filled her soul as she saw the familiar faces of the people she loved waiting for her.

She glanced over at her companion, fear edging into her mind once more. "What if… What if I hurt them again?"

Knowing eyes met hers, making her feel instantly at ease. "You worry needlessly. You will set them free."

She smiled softly, trusting his words were true. Her fear gave way to hope and she smiled through her tears. This was what she was supposed to do. This was her destiny and she was not going to meet it alone.

Kagome awoke to a damp pillow, stained with her own tears. Even as full consciousness returned to her she could not keep from weeping. She peeked over at Shippou to make sure her cries had not awakened him and felt glad to see him still sleeping soundly. She did not want to have to explain to him the reason for her tears, he had been angry enough when she told him what happened between her and Jaken earlier that day.

Kagome rubbed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath, trying to clear her mind. It was not as if she had not had this dream before. Slightly different variations of the same dream had plagued her for weeks, yet tonight the dream had changed drastically and left her feeling uncertain. She'd never seen what Magatsuhi would do if she failed and the memory of it chilled her to the bone.

Usually Midoriko was the other person in her dream answering her questions or offering her reassurance, but tonight it had been Sesshoumaru. In her dream, she felt complete trust toward the youkai lord. She felt confident that she could depend on him, that he would take care of her and help her. That difference suddenly made the dream much more unnerving. It bothered her deeply and filled her with a sense of guilt, as though she was betraying Inuyasha somehow. She did not quite understand why.

It was more than a little disturbing.

It should have been Midoriko or perhaps Inuyasha in her dream, not Sesshoumaru. He wasn't her friend. If killing her meant that the Tetsusaiga would be his, Kagome was certain he would not hesitate to make quick her death. He was just using her...

'_...and you are using him._'

Kagome's breath caught in her throat at the realization.

It was true. She _was_ using him. She needed him to wield the Tetsusaiga against Magatsuhi. If they were successful in destroying him, then the Shikon no Tama would cease to exist.

If Kagome were not successful... if Sesshoumaru did not help her, all of their suffering and grief would be for nothing. Inuyasha and Kohaku would have died in vain and all the people trapped by the curse of the jewel would continue to suffer.

The only way to end the cycle was for Sesshoumaru to put his own life on the line and help her.

Kagome sighed and closed her eyes as she replayed the dream in her mind. Perhaps she needed to try to trust Sesshoumaru more. Perhaps the dream was trying to tell her that he was far more than what he projected.

She certainly hoped so.

• • •

Kagome was surprised not to see Jaken that morning as they normally did every morning when he brought them clean clothes to wear. After waking from her dream, Kagome had a difficult time falling back to sleep and had spent the early morning hours convincing herself that she should swallow her pride and apologize to Jaken. She did not feel she was the one who needed to apologize for the events of the previous day, but she was willing to do it if it meant preventing an already tense situation from becoming worse.

However, his usual time of showing up came and went and Kagome found herself wondering if she truly had offended the youkai lord as Jaken had implied when she heard a loud rap at her door. She knew from the knock that it was not Jaken. He never knocked, he always opened the door unannounced, deposited the clothing and left, usually without even looking at them.

Kagome frowned as she stared at the door. "Yes?"

The door slid open to reveal Sesshoumaru, his body appearing taller than normal in the narrow doorway and his expression reflecting agitation. Kagome did not think to hide her surprise from him; he had never come to see her before. He looked at her coolly and raised a brow at her causing Kagome to blush as she realized she was still wearing her nightclothes.

"Ah… good morning, Sesshoumaru," Kagome said politely as she gave a slight bow and clenched the top of her robe closed with her fist. She smiled nervously as her mind whirled with unspoken questions and perplexed feelings about his sudden visit.

"Jaken should not have struck you yesterday," Sesshoumaru said very matter-of-factly, almost coldly. "I have reprimanded him for his actions."

He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her intensely as he continued. "_You_ are not to go against my wishes and 'help me' when I specifically tell you that I do not need or want your help."

"But, I–"

"I am not finished and I am not here to discuss this with you," he said sharply. "I am thankful for your talents with the miasma but as long as you are my guest do not make it a habit to act so irrationally and carelessly in the future. Act like a fool on your own time. I have no patience for it."

With that, the youkai lord shut the door and left, leaving Kagome to stand frozen in astonishment.

_'Did... did he just say that he was _thankful?_'_


	14. chapter thirteen :: lurid eclipse

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.  
**chapter thirteen : lurid eclipse

* * *

The beast watched the human man from a safe distance, its lips dripping with joy. The man stalked his prey as a lynx stalked a rabbit. The woman was completely unaware of the man's presence and intent, though had she been aware it would not have mattered. The man was determined to have her no matter what.

He stumbled out onto the path before her, clutching at his knee in mock injury. He apologized for his clumsiness with an embarrassed laugh while simultaneously complimenting her on her beauty. Cheeks flushed, she offered to help him up and he declined. Being the kind hearted woman that she was, she insisted and carefully bend down, reaching out to him with a shy smile lifting her features.

The man smiled at her warmly and her own expression grew in response. As the man rose to his feet, he struck, stabbing her deep in her belly. There was no time for sound as the man moved upon her. Eyes wide with shock and pain, the man suddenly wrapped himself around her and pulled her along with him. They stumbled off the main path together, heading toward a secret place where they would be alone.

Akuma grinned as it followed the human, excited at its successful find. The human male was beautiful, and surprisingly rare. Pleasing to the eyes and possessing a natural charm, the man was able to hide his inner darkness from friends and strangers alike.

He was perfect.

• • •

_You crave blood and flesh._

The man's head shot up at the sound of the voice, his hands suddenly flying over his kimono as he sought to make himself look decent before the source of the voice made an appearance.

_You lust for pain. Pleasure is pain._

The man whirled around in a circle, seeking out the source of the voice. "Who's there?!"

_I can give you the flesh you want and the power to take it whenever you wish._

Raising his hand to his head, the man realized that the voice was coming from within his own mind. He wondered frantically if the voice was Kami-sama himself, taunting him for his sins. Anger flared up inside of him, "What _is_ this?!"

A creature appeared before him with a face like a man and a body like a dragon. Its tail swished back and forth behind it as it approached the man. It smiled at him and the man winced, suddenly feeling terrified of the power radiating from the beast.

"Who… what--"

_I am that which is known as Magatsuhi._

The man felt himself go rigid with fright as the beast reached out to him, touching his flesh most delicately as it examined him, _Your heart is so beautiful._

The man tried to pull back from Magatsuhi, only to feel one of his claws suddenly wrap around his bicep and pull him closer. He immediately jerked from the touch, causing the beast to tighten its hold. The man cried out in pain as he felt his flesh tear and his bone break from the pressure. To his horror, the man watched his arm crumple in the beast's fist, crushed like leaf.

_You are filled with darkness. I need your body. Give me your body and I will give you all the flesh, pain and pleasure you want._

"N-no."

_Give me that which I desire, and I will grant you your most carnal desires and sadistic urgings…_

• • •

"Sesshoumaru-samaaaa!" The little girl cried as she bounded happily into the room.

The youkai lord slowed his pace to allow the child to catch up to him with greater ease. She grinned at him happily as she caught up to him. "Sesshoumaru-sama, Kagome-oneesan taught Rin how to write haikus!" she exclaimed excitedly as she thrust a slightly crumpled page toward her guardian, "Look!"

Sesshoumaru paused in his walk and raised an eyebrow at his excited daughter as she grinned madly at him, the page still held out toward him.

"Kagome-oneesan said it was good for my first try. Rin wants you to read it, please!"

Taking the page from her hand, Sesshoumaru read the kanji aloud:

"Spring comes to find Rin  
as youkai – Sesshoumaru  
new life he gives her"

Rin smiled at her guardian and immediately filled his ears with her voice the moment he was finished reading. "Rin wrote it wrong the first time. Kagome-oneesan had to help Rin revise it, but she said Rin did well. She told Rin to show it to you! She said you would like it."

"I will keep it."

Rin beamed, "You will?"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru replied as he carefully folded the piece of paper and hid it within the pockets of his kimono. He motioned to Rin to follow him as he resumed his walk and she quickly fell into pace beside him. "What else is Kagome teaching you?"

"Oh, she's been helping Rin with calligraphy and reading and teaching mathematics. Rin and Shippou-chan do not like mathematics, but Kagome-oneesan says we should learn it. She says everyone from where she is from has to learn it. Sometimes she tells stories about her home and her family, too. Rin thinks she misses them."

"I see."

"Rin thinks Kagome is upset about something. Shippou-chan said she has had a lot of bad dreams. Rin used to have a lot of bad dreams before Rin met Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Do you know what kind of dreams she has been having?"

Rin scrunched her face up as she thought about her answer. "No, Shippou-chan didn't say and Kagome-oneesan doesn't talk about it." She smiled up at her guardian, "Rin is glad Kagome-oneesan is here… but Rin doesn't want her to leave."

"Has she said that she is going to leave?"

"No, but she misses her family and she seems sad sometimes. Rin thinks she will want to leave and go home someday."

Sesshoumaru glanced down at the girl, noting her downcast face. "Rin, she and the kitsune are only guests here."

"...yes."

"You would rather she lived here?"

Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru with hope in her eyes, "Yes!"

A slight smile formed on Sesshoumaru's face, "Do not get your hopes up, girl. I was merely asking. She is welcome to stay, but you should guard your heart more."

The girl turned her eyes away from the youkai lord, her face falling downcast once more.

Sesshoumaru stroked the top of her head gently, comforting the child. "Your haiku is very good, Rin."

• • •

Kagome awoke, her body slick with sweat. She shivered in the darkness as she tried to rid her mind of the images in her dream and calm her queasy stomach.

Strange dreams continued to stalk Kagome, making it increasingly difficult for her to get a full night's rest. Her dreams were primarily about Magatsuhi, occasionally she saw Naraku... but in each of her dreams, one way or another, they were trying to get inside of her.

Midoriko had all but disappeared from her mind. Kagome could feel her if she really concentrated, but she no longer answered to Kagome's calls. It was a strange sensation. Midoriko had been a constant presence since Inuyasha's death. She took care of Kagome when the girl was ready to give up on life, protecting her and Shippou from every threat against them. Over the past year, Kagome had grown so comfortable with Midoriko that it seemed almost unnatural to be without her.

She knew the reason why Midoriko was laying dormant was that she was preparing herself for Magatsuhi and the recent dreams about the beast meant that he was drawing near. It wouldn't be long before he gained enough strength to make an appearance.

That realization alone was enough to keep Kagome from sleeping soundly. She had not been able to sleep through the night since she dreamt of Sesshoumaru.

Kagome released a shaky breath as she rubbed her face. Sunrise was still another good three hours away and she knew she would not be able to get back to sleep while her skin felt sticky with sweat. A hot bath would relax her, soothe her flesh and hopefully distract her from her nightmares.

With that thought in mind, Kagome stood, careful not to disturb Shippou as she stepped around him and made her way out of their room and toward the furo. The room was dark and quiet when she stepped inside and she quickly light the candles in the room.

She scrubbed herself thoroughly before lowering herself into the furo. The water was not as warm as she would have liked, but it still felt good to be clean. Stretching out her legs and letting her head rest comfortably against the edge, she closed her eyes and called to Midoriko. Kagome knew she would not answer, but she kept calling to her. Exhaustion slowly overcame her as the warmth of the water lulled her to sleep.

• • •

"Girl."

She stirred, but did not wake.

He frowned and spoke her name while nudging the back of her shoulder. "Kagome, wake up."

Her eyes opened slowly and squinted against the morning light causing her to look down. She gasped in surprise as she realized she was up to her chest in water. Kagome sat up and looked around for her towel when a soft voice from behind filled her ears.

"Did you sleep here all night?"

Kagome felt her cheeks redden at the sound of Sesshoumaru's voice. Without a word, she immediately moved away from him and covered her chest with her arms. "What… what are you doing here?" she asked defensively as she pulled her legs up in front of her while keeping her back pointed toward the youkai lord.

"This _is_ my bath."

"I—I'm sorry, I..."

"Did you sleep here all night?"

"I woke up from a bad dream and thought..."

"Do not speak to me with your back to me," he interrupted. "It is rude."

Kagome felt her embarrassment turn to anger at his reprimand. She slowly turned her head toward him, but did not look at him. "Fine. May I get out then?"

Sesshoumaru's lips twitched into a small smirk at the feistiness of her voice. She was embarrassed _and_ annoyed. She was more fun to toy with when she was like that and it had been a long time since he had the pleasure of teasing her. Not one to miss an opportunity, he denied her request.

"No."

Her mouth dropped open in shock and anger causing her to turn around to face him completely. "What do you mean 'No'? I didn't _mean_ to fall asleep in here, you jerk!"

A chuckle escaped his lips at her sudden outburst. She had completely forgotten her state of undress. "I would say you _have_ been here all night. You are as wrinkled as a woman five times your age."

Kagome blushed hard and covered herself with her arms as best she could. Considering the fact that he wore only a towel, it was difficult for her to remain completely focused on her anger. Her eyes kept returning to his arm, which appeared to be almost completely healed.

"Stop playing with me," she said as she forced herself to look him in the eyes.

His infuriating smirk vanished and his face returned to the impassive look Kagome was most accustomed. "Are you well?" he asked seriously.

"Y-yes. I just couldn't sleep last night and thought a bath would make me feel better. I didn't think I would fall asleep here." She looked away from him, her face sheepish, "I'm sorry."

"You have had many bad dreams as of late."

Kagome raised her eyebrows at him, "How do you know that?"

"Rin told me." He turned his back to her and started to exit the room, "Hurry up and finish in here or else I will send Jaken in to chase you out."

Kagome humphed at his retreating back and grabbed the towel beside her. _'I really am a wrinkled mess_,' she noted as she dried herself. A fresh blush crept across her cheeks as she remembered turning toward him in the furo to yell at Sesshoumaru. She had been tempted to stand and yell at him without a stitch of clothing. Thank goodness she didn't.

_'I'm such an idiot.'_

As she began to work some of the tangles out of her hair, she couldn't help but to think of Sesshoumaru's arm. It had healed very quickly from the last time she had seen it, though Kagome still could not explain what was causing his arm to heal so fast. She did recall Inuyasha saying that Sesshoumaru's arm would eventually grow back, but he seemed to have implied that it would take several years to regenerate, not months.

Kagome frowned, perhaps Midoriko _had_ done something without her knowledge. Not that Kagome minded, she was glad his arm was healing… it just made her feel strange to know that Midoriko had acted without her knowledge, especially when she wasn't even responding to her calls anymore.

"Jaken!"

Kagome froze at the sound of Sesshoumaru's voice calling for his servant. The distant sound of rushing footsteps grew steadily louder until Kagome heard the familiar swoosh of the outer door being suddenly opened in haste.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"That woman-child, Kagome, is in _my_ furo. Go chase her out."

Kagome's face twisted in anger, "Hey! I'll be out in a minute!" she yelled through the door. "You're so impatient!"

A muffled chuckle answered her and Kagome could not help but to laugh herself. In her mirth, she was surprised to learn that she actually liked the sound of his laugh and craved to hear it again.


	15. chapter fourteen :: never-ending night

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
chapter fourteen : never-ending night

* * *

Surrounded by a cocoon of flesh and bone, Magatsuhi fed on darkness as he metamorphosed. Just as Onigumo never fully realized what evils his carnal desires fed, the human man, Yuji, did not realize what evil he fed.

Within the shell of Yuji's flesh and bone hid Magatsuhi much like a caterpillar within a cocoon. Magatsuhi made Yuji forget his terrifying encounter with the "beast" leaving him to believe that he had been irresponsible and allowed himself to fall asleep after sating himself with a village girl. All Yuji was aware of were the strange dreams and visions that haunted him, filling his mind with the image of a beautiful young woman that caused him to salivate at the thought of his ownership written into her chest.

The hunt was on.

Driven by some intangible desire to possess the woman he knew only as Kagome, Yuji began his quest to conquer her. Yuji moved carefully from village to village seeking the enchanting woman out as he left the mangled remains of young girls in his wake. His need was insatiable, boosting his lust for the taste and feel of blood and death. His urges became so strong and insistent that he frequently risked being caught as he pleasured himself with the unwilling village women.

Each woman that he marked as his, her face became clearer in his mind, causing his lusts to set his blood afire as her name dripped from his lips. He wanted her more than anything, he wanted to own the woman named Kagome.

Magatsuhi was pleased that he needed to put such little effort into controlling and directing Yuji. The darkness that filled the man drove him forward and Magatsuhi only needed to whet his appetite for the young miko to ensure that his plans would come to fruition. Each dream Magatsuhi teased Yuji with, each image that filled the man's mind only served to increase the amount of torment the human caused upon the innocent, thus providing Magatsuhi the substance he needed to increase in strength and the tool necessary to break Midoriko's heir.

Yuki was proving to be the perfect host. Soon Magatsuhi would be strong enough to taste the pleasures of Midoriko's flesh reborn and possess the god-like power within her that he had been denied five centuries before.

• • •

Kagome yawned as she stared out the window to watch the rain pelt the earth. She was bored, utterly and completely bored. It had been raining for almost four days already and for the past three days Sesshoumaru had been avoiding her. Kagome did not know why he was avoiding her, but she had noticed that he tended to disappear for a few days every month.

She hated to admit it, but she missed his company. The combination of bad weather and lack of peers her own age tended to make her feel particularly gloomy. A twinge of familiar guilt sparked to life within her as she wondered where Sesshoumaru had escaped. Kagome knew the guilt well, but didn't know quite how to appease it. She knew in her heart that just talking to Sesshoumaru was not a bad thing, but she could not help but to feel like she was betraying Inuyasha by simply thinking of his older brother in a friendly light. It seemed to her that every moment in Sesshoumaru's domain should bother her somehow, but it did not.

Sesshoumaru could certainly act the part of an arrogant, conceited jerk... but he was not the terrible villain Inuyasha had made him out to be. Kagome often found herself wondering where the bad blood and deeply rooted grudges between them came from. What surprised her the most was the lack of hateful talk about Inuyasha from Sesshoumaru. It seemed as though Inuyasha never had enough unkind things to say about his brother, yet Sesshoumaru didn't say anything that led Kagome to believe that he actually hated his younger brother as much as Inuyasha claimed he did.

Sesshoumaru certainly wasn't too bothered by Inuyasha's death. He even went so far as to say that if Inuyasha had truly wanted to live, he could have used the Tetsusaiga to protect himself or fallen back on his own natural instincts. Either way, he would have lived. Regardless of the human blood in his veins, his youkai blood was strong enough to survive had he really wanted to.

'_He is my father's son_,' Sesshoumaru had explained. Therefore, the youkai lord was of the opinion that his brother choose to die, which caused him to respect Inuyasha's death even less.

Kagome had to admit, some of what he said rang true. Why didn't Inuyasha use the Tetsusaiga to protect himself? Did he run to Kikyou to save her, or to die with her? Regardless of the answer, Kagome's heart had mixed feelings. What bothered her most was that in some very tangible ways, she was betraying Inuyasha... in the most horrible way she could think of.

Kagome was staying with Sesshoumaru in order to give him the Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha's inheritance. If Inuyasha knew what she was doing, he would probably hate her. That thought often kept Kagome up late into the night, but she knew she had no other alternative.

What else could she do?

Her only reprieve was the fact that Sesshoumaru had not asked for her to break the seal on the sword since the day Toukijin came alive. He never once mentioned Magatsuhi or anything relating to the Shikon no Tama at all. It was a nice break for Kagome because all she thought about when she was alone was Magatsuhi and it seemed the only time the beast was not on her mind was when she was with Sesshoumaru or playing with Rin and Shippou.

So when Rin and Shippou approached her and asked her to play hide-and-go-seek with them, she was rather thankful for the distraction, though apprehensive about playing such a game in Sesshoumaru's home.

What if Sesshoumaru did not approve of them running around the house and being otherwise bothersome?

They were guests in his home after all. It would not be proper for them to make a nuisance of themselves. Nevertheless, the two of them kept begging and looking at her with those pleading eyes that always tugged at her heartstrings and she found herself growing increasingly tempted to give in to their request. Besides, for all she knew Sesshoumaru wasn't even home. She had not seen him for days so even if she wanted to ask permission, she could not. With that in mind, Kagome closed her eyes and started to count, causing Rin to squeal happily before the sounds of two pairs of quickly retreating footsteps filled Kagome's ears.

Unfortunately, Kagome had been "it" four times in a row now. Shippou's ability to transform was making it impossible for her to find him. When she finally did spot him, Rin would come out of hiding and flee to safety leaving Kagome to try to tag Shippou. The kitsune was quick and Kagome had been unsuccessful in touching the boy until well after he tagged home.

Kagome could not help but to giggle to herself as she stalked Rin on her fifth turn of being "it." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rin bolt down the hallway leading into the east wing of the estate. The girl must have spotted Kagome as she turned the corner and, realizing her hiding spot was no longer safe, she fled.

Smiling to herself, Kagome slowly began to follow Rin, careful not to alert the girl to her presence and cause her to flee once more. Rin and Shippou were very clever and some of their daily antics reminded Kagome of Sota.

She missed her family.

Kagome carefully examined the doors lining the hallway, seeking out some sign of Rin's passage. She had never been in the east wing before and felt rather awkward being there. Her sense of déjà vu since arriving at Sesshoumaru's home never seemed to go away and even though she had never been in this section of the house before, she still felt she knew what was behind each door.

Sesshoumaru's quarters were in the east wing. Last door on the right, in fact.

A faint light peeking out from under a door directly to her left caught Kagome's eye. She studied the door carefully and saw that it wasn't quite closed. Behind that door was a library with lots of hiding places. Kagome smiled as she slowly slid the door open and peaked inside.

Candles light the room casting a pleasant glow over everything. The room was surprisingly bare, save for the tatami mat and zabutons. Kagome took a step inside. "Rin," she whispered loudly, "if you're in here you'd better come out. I don't think we should be in this part of the house."

She let her eyes roam the room as she waited for a response, her breath catching in her throat when she noticed the painting on the back wall.

At first, Kagome thought it was a painting of Inuyasha, a very gruff and very aged version of him, minus the dog-ears. Without thinking, she stepped completely into the room and approached the painting, trying to get a better look at it in the dim candlelight. She realized that the painting was not of Inuyasha at all, but of his father.

Kagome peered at the paining intently, marveling at the similarities in appearance between Inuyasha and his father. It was remarkable how alike the two looked and Kagome was certain that had Inuyasha lived to old age, he would have grown to look exactly like him.

Her curiosity sated, Kagome began to exit the room when another painting caught her eye. It appeared to be a depiction of Sesshoumaru as an adolescent at first glance, but as she studied it, she realized she was looking at a young woman.

The woman pictured wore a very elaborate and beautiful dark blue and ivory kimono. Her eyes were a pale blue and hair a light, white blond. Her hair was pulled back from her face revealing a strange looking mark high on her neck that seemed out of place in the painting. The woman had the same crescent moon and cheek markings as Sesshoumaru and in her arms she cradled a very small infant.

A warm smile filtered across Kagome's face as she realized the infant was a newborn Sesshoumaru and the woman holding him was his mother. He looked exactly like her, save for the difference in eye color. Kagome leaned in closer to get a better look at the baby Sesshoumaru when her fingers brushed across the top of several scrolls. She glanced down at the scrolls and let her fingers linger on top of them, curiosity threatening to get the best of her.

"Jeez, what am I doing in here?" Kagome whispered to herself as she pulled her hand away from the scrolls and realized the rudeness of her behavior. "I'm supposed to be looking for Rin."

Turning around, Kagome came face to face with Sesshoumaru himself. He was watching her with an intense look in his eyes, his expression betraying his vexation. She felt her heart immediately double its efforts as she met his gaze, suddenly feeling guilty for entering a room she knew she should not have.

"I— I was looking for Rin. We're playing a game and I saw her run down the hall," Kagome said in a rush as her cheeks began to redden, "I saw the door was ajar and I thought maybe she was hiding in here."

His gaze did not waiver as he regarded her and she fell back to the well-ingrained instincts of childhood. She bowed.

"Gomen nasai, Sesshoumaru."

When she finally looked up, Sesshoumaru was no longer standing in front of her, but beside her. She straightened and stared at his profile for a long moment wondering what to do. She did not think it would be polite of her to just leave and Sesshoumaru's silence was confusing her. She turned to look at the painting with him, waiting for him to say something. He seemed unusually tense to her and she thought she detected a subtle shift in his stance when she moved to stand next to him, yet he still did not speak.

When the silence became too much, she tried to break the ice herself. "That's your mother, isn't it? She's very beautiful," Kagome said quietly. "You look a lot like her."

Sesshoumaru continued to study the painting, giving no indication of a response. Kagome scratched her head nervously and wondered if the risk of being rude by leaving was a risk she was willing to take. Sesshoumaru was not one to shy away if he had something to say. His silence bothered Kagome on a deeper level and she felt at odds of what to do next.

"Is there something significant about the bruise on her neck? It looks strange."

"It is not a bruise."

Kagome glanced up at him in wonder, but remained silent.

"It signifies her lifelong commitment to my father."

"Oh." Kagome turned her full attention to the painting as silence engulfed them once more. She cleared her throat after a moment and smiled once again, "She looks very proud in that picture."

"Aa."

"Inuyasha never mentioned your mothe--"

"Inuyasha never knew my mother." Sesshoumaru interrupted. "She took her life shortly after he was born."

Kagome turned her startled gaze back to Sesshoumaru, "Why?"

"Just because I have forgiven you for entering my study does not mean I will entertain your questions about my family history."

"I didn't mean any offense. I was just asking."

He looked down at her for the first time since entering the room, his eyes reflecting something foreign that Kagome hand never seen in the youkai's eyes before and couldn't quite name what it was.

"I would prefer it if you would mind your own business in this matter," he said softly.

Kagome gazed back at him and nodded, "Of course. I'm sorry."

Sesshoumaru sighed as his gaze returned to the painting. "There is a shortcut in this wing that leads back to the front room. Rin is probably there."

"Thank you," Kagome whispered, understanding that she had just been excused. She left the room as quickly and as quietly as she could and headed back the way she came, memories of that foreign look in his eyes haunting her.

It was sadness she realized, her heart suddenly feeling heavy for the youkai lord.

• • •

"I've been looking for a girl about your age," Yuji said with a disarming smile.

The young woman to whom he spoke did not spare him a glance as she continued to work her herb garden. The woman's dark hair was pulled back away from her face and hung down her back in a long ponytail. Her hands and kimono were stained with dirt and her breathing sounded husky from her work, the sound a delight to Yuji's ears. His smile grew as he studied her, noting the way the top of her kimono bulged just slightly as she worked hunched over her plants, revealing just a hint of the ivory skin beneath.

_'She looks delicious, doesn't she? You can have her. You can do anything you want to her...'_

Yuji's smile did not falter as his eyes continued to move over her young body appreciatively, "I think her hair is a bit longer than yours, but she looks very similar to you."

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen anyone like that," the young woman said without looking up, her voice belaying her irritation.

Her condescending tone was not lost on Yuji and his smile began to fade consequently. "Really? That's not what the old man tending the field a mile back told me. He said a young woman with a kitsune passed near here several months ago. You didn't see her?"

"No sir, I did not."

'_She's lying._'

"I need to find her. She has something that belongs to me."

"I told you, I saw no such girl," she said impatiently as she finally raised her head to look at the man questioning her and gasped, her spade falling from her hands as her eyes widened in shock.

"You're lying."

"Wh-what are—"

'_Kill her!_'

"Lying bitch," he hissed as his hand shot out to grasp her by the neck. "You saw her, didn't you?!"

"N…no!"

"She passed right through here!" His nails started to dig painfully into the delicate skin around her throat, creating beads of blood to form at his fingertips. Her tongue rolled out of her mouth as her neck was being crushed, her skin already casting a sick, blue tint.

"Damn you! I can't stand liars!" He shouted as his fingers punctured her neck causing blood to spurt out all over his chest. He looked down at himself in disgust, knowing he just ruined the only clothes he had. Renewed anger flared up within him as he shook the corpse, screaming his rage in her dead face.

"Damn, dirty whore! Look what you did!" Her still bleeding corpse slammed onto the ground, her blood staining the herb leaves of her garden. He breathed heavily as he watched her blood soak into the earth, idly wondering how her cooling skin felt under her clothes.

The familiar sound of a sword being unsheathed behind him interrupted his thoughts, causing him to turn his head toward the sound. An aged samurai stood behind him ready to strike, but waiting for him to take notice of his presence.

"That's not very bushido of you. I am unarmed."

"Bushido is reserved for human beings," the man said. "You are a monster and do not deserve such an honor."

"Is that so?" he asked as he turned to face the samurai, his mind quickly running through his options.

The samurai bowed his head and offered up a quick prayer to Buddha before addressing Yuji directly, "I will put you out of your misery." With a speed usually reserved for men twice his junior, the samurai attacked, swinging his sword in a tight arc aimed at disemboweling Yuji in one, clean slice.

Yuji didn't have any time to blink as he felt the burn of the blade slash through him. He stumbled backward in shock, only to fall over the corpse of the woman he just murdered. Terror filled eyes peered down at his body. He expected to see his own intestines spilling out onto his lap, but instead he saw a strange black goo ooze from his wound.

He breathed ragged breaths as he stared at himself in numb shock.

Yuji knew what he should be seeing. He had seen it before, smelt it before. His bowels should be hanging out, he should be gagging on his own internal stench... but all he could see was the black liquid slowly pouring out of his body. As he held his hand up to his face to examine the black fluid coming from his body, he became aware that there was no sensation of pain, not even a slight dullness.

The glint of metal and loud grunt caused him to flinch instinctively, his arms raising up to protect himself as he closed his eyes tightly waiting for the attack. Yuji felt his middle lurch forward unnaturally and the sound of a sword hitting the earth following by the choking sounds of someone desperate for air filled his ears. He opened his eyes in alarm and watched as the black goo oozing from his body drove itself down the samurai's throat, filling his sinuses with fluid.

Yuji observed in fascination as the light in the samurai's eyes slowly dimmed as he drowned. A moment later a wide smile filed Yuji's face as the samurai's limp body fell to the earth in an undignified flop, marking the end of the old man's bothersome life. The fluid filling the dead man's face slowly retracted and pulled back into itself, entering Yuji's body once more, healing him completely. Yuji felt a comforting coolness move through him as he watched the slash across his torso close leaving smooth, flawless skin in its wake.

A rush of joy, almost sexual in nature, filled his senses as he moved his hands over his belly and realized what he now was. Somehow, he had become immortal.

No one could stop him.

No one.


	16. chapter fifteen :: dawn, part one

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.  
**chapter fifteen : dawn, part one

* * *

"Maybe your father gave it to you so you would learn the value of life."

An impatient sigh answered Kagome as she continued to express her theories about the twin swords. The youkai lord flicked his tail as he settled himself into a chair, watching her out of the corners of his eyes. She was in a talkative mood and for some reason, Sesshoumaru did not mind conversing with her. Though he did wish she would choose something else for the two of them to discuss.

"Or," Kagome continued, "maybe it's a yin and yang thing... but then that doesn't explain Inuyasha's inheritance, does it?

Sesshoumaru grunted with annoyance as he turned his full gaze toward her.

"You know not of what you speak."

"That may be," Kagome said, appearing thoughtful. "It's not like you need a sword to kill a hundred youkai at once, Sesshoumaru. Aren't you supposed to be one of the most powerful youkai living?"

"You are pointless to discuss this with."

"You mean you just don't want to talk about it."

"That, too."

Kagome smirked, "That's because I'm right."

"Why must I repeat myself with you? Is your mind too feeble to understand my words or are you purposely not listening to me? You know _not_ of what you speak."

He continued to gaze at Kagome harshly, radiating a simple message to her_: drop the subject._ If it were not for the slight upturn of Sesshoumaru's lips, Kagome _would_ let the subject drop. She didn't want to make him cross on purpose. Nevertheless, she could tell that he was not as annoyed as he projected himself to be. She had since learned to read his body language much better and she trusted her instincts. Besides, Kagome was enjoying the way Sesshoumaru was trying to avoid the topic. For once, the circumstances were reversed.

"Let's see... you spend your entire life training to be as strong, or stronger than your father. You succeed, but come to find out that instead of your father seeing your accomplishment and rewarding you with the Tetsusaiga, he gives you the Tenseiga and you're unhappy about it and hate Inuyasha."

"You put it so simply," he said sarcastically.

"I'm just trying to understand this grudge. You could be a little more helpful and explain it to me, you know."

"Why would I wish to do such a thing?" he asked as he leaned back more comfortably in his seat and smirked at her. "If I did, I would miss listening to your insightful gems of wisdom."

"Ha, ha."

• • •

Magatsuhi knew exactly where she was, what she was wearing, even what she smelled like.

He could see her; with his mind's eye, he could see her. The picture was clear and the sound crisp. Magatsuhi could see and smell her as clearly as though he was sitting next to her, breathing her in through his own nostrils and feeling her with his own flesh.

Yet in reality, she was sitting with _him_. She was talking, laughing and smiling with _him_ and he could see the contentment in her eyes.

Magatsuhi could see a faint blush rise on her cheeks and he watched the nervous way she would occasionally fold and unfold her hands in her lap. She liked the youkai lord. She trusted him. Her feelings are obvious and quite plain, but Magatsuhi doubted that his little Kagome-chan was aware of those feelings herself. Those worthless emotions and sentiments that humans insist on clinging to kept her from acting on what her body was already telling her to do.

It was both disturbing and disgusting and Magatsuhi felt rage boil up within him as he watched.

She was _his!_ Even before she was born, she belonged to him. The small bump just under her skin marking the presence of the Shikon no Tama was testimony of that fact. He owned her. Her flesh was for his pleasure and his pleasure alone. If anyone were going to spoil her, dirty her… _glorify_ her, it would be him.

Midoriko rejected him once and bound him, it would not happen again. Now he would be the one to bind _her._

Magatsuhi pulled back to watch the pair, letting his eyes travel over the youkai lord who sat beside his property completely unaware. He was in the way.

If only that fool had not been so damn stubborn and proud Magatsuhia would not have had to hide himself within a human to gain the nourishment he required. Sesshoumaru was _supposed_ to accept Magatsuhi and become his vessel. His heart had been primed from the beginning; his father started the process before Sesshoumaru was even strong enough to hold a sword. Hatred and distrust of humans should be solidified within his heart by now, poisoning him and ripening his soul for Magatsuhi's consumption.

Sesshoumaru should hate _her._ He should want to humiliate and shame her in every way imaginable. He should have accepted Magatsuhi's offer. No -- he should have been delighted by it. They could be one, with her, and yet, Sesshoumaru rejected him.

Magatsuhi could see the flecks of warmth within Sesshoumaru's aura as he listened to the young woman. The youkai lord had steadily grown fond of her, even protective. He wanted to help her. He was comfortable in her presence.

He trusted her.

He _cared_ about her.

Magatsuhi seethed at the sight. It was not meant to be this way. There should only be one sword, not two. That dirty little girl called Rin should belong to the maggots. Sesshoumaru's hate of humans should be a tangible thing. Naraku and the walking corpse should have taken the hanyou with them.

And Kagome should have waited with the Tetsusaiga for Magatsuhi to come to her just as she was _supposed_ to!

A glint caught Magatsuhi's eye and he focused on the sheathed sword that lay beside the youkai lord. Perhaps it was the influence of that sword that turned the tide against him. It was a contradiction. No sword should exist capable of healing and saving lives. The very concept was an abomination.

It _had_ to be the sword. Somehow, it was manipulating Magatsuhi's chosen fate. The Tenseiga and the Shikon no Tama were working together, against him. That had to be why the two were drawn together. The Tenseiga had softened Sesshoumaru's heart and purified his soul. It taught him what compassion, love and forgiveness is and the Shikon no Tama was protecting her.

The Tenseiga had to be destroyed and the Shikon no Tama had to be possessed. Magatsuhi's fate required it.

• • •

Sesshoumaru smirked sarcastically at her, "What makes you think that I do not value life?"

"I don't know," Kagome said with mock wonder, "your name for one, Destroyer of the Circle of Life-_san._"

Sesshoumaru chuckled, "You do not like it? My father chose it."

"I like it fine, but it leads one to believe you like the killing."

"I like the fighting. There is a difference. If my opponent happens to die from his injuries, however..." Sesshoumaru trailed off as he shrugged, his smirk never leaving his face.

"That still doesn't explain the grudge and–"

Another exasperated sigh escaped from Sesshoumaru's lips, interrupting Kagome in mid sentence. "This is bordering on becoming tedious."

"Well, why do you think your father gave Inuyasha the Tetsusaiga and not you?"

"Perhaps because Inuyasha was half human. Perhaps because he favored his mother over mine. Perhaps because he thought it would motivate me to become stronger. On the other hand, perhaps because he thought it would be humorous. My father was known for his strange sense of humor. In any case, I do not know, but the sword rightfully belongs to me and always has."

"What about the Tenseiga?"

"What about it?"

"You hate it, don't you?"

A single eyebrow quirked up, "Who told you that?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, "You did. I heard you specifically tell Toutousai that you wanted a _'more worthy'_ sword. That would kind of indicate that you think the Tenseiga is unworthy."

"I may have thought that once."

"But you always have it with you," she said, then gestured to the sword in question laying beside him, "even now."

"It is _my_ sword."

Kagome sighed and rubbed her forehead in a frustrated gesture.

"I do not understand why you are asking such questions," he said.

"I want to understand why Inuyasha hated you so much, and why you disliked him."

Sesshoumaru raised a curious eyebrow. "What does it matter? He is dead."

"Yes, but I just don't get it. He hated you, but you don't seem to hate him. At least not like he hated you. You're not at all like the way Inuyasha made you out to be and I want to understand why that is. Why did Inuyasha hate you so much? He once said you would sooner commit seppuku than help a human, yet you care for Rin and you are kind to me."

Kagome sighed and looked down at her hands folded in her lap, "I just want to understand I guess. It feels weird being here and being friendly with you. I mean, the reason I'm even here is because of the Tetsusaiga–"

"You feel guilty."

Kagome glanced up at Sesshoumaru and nodded shyly. "Well... yes."

"Did I not tell you once before that I am not interested in educating you about my family history?"

"Yes," Kagome said softly, "you did."

Sesshoumaru felt an unfamiliar twinge of sympathy toward the woman-child. Her reasons for asking all the questions still seemed inconsequential to him, but were clearly important to her. He did not want to tell her the reasons. He preferred to keep the memories to himself, in the darkness of his heart. Yet, she needed to hear it, wanted to hear it, and he felt compelled to tell her.

If recounting the past would satisfy her and ease her heart, then he would give that to her.

"My father," Sesshoumaru began, the intense look in his eyes grabbing Kagome's full attention, "mated with my mother almost three centuries ago. They were both warriors and conquered this land together. A hundred years later, I was born and my mother spent her time caring for the household and I while my father continued to defend his current domain and win more territory in battle."

Kagome sat back slowly, never breaking eye contact with the youkai lord who seemed to hold her in his gaze. She swallowed nervously as she listened to him, feeling as though he was telling her something he never told anyone before.

Sesshoumaru folded his arms over his chest as he continued. "When I reached what you would consider early adolescents, my father's passions shifted from fighting and being the most powerful youkai in the lands to the pleasures of the flesh. He developed a taste for mortal women and often acted upon his desires when away for battle. He did not hide his activities from anyone; in fact, he often brought his mortal women home.

"My mother protested and told him that he was acting dishonorably and bringing shame to the family because he did not honor his life-mate and his heir. For a time, he stopped bringing women home and behaved himself. Before long, he went back to his old ways; the only difference was he tried to be more discreet about it. Eventually, the inevitable happened and one of his whores conceived.

"My father could sense the power that the unborn hanyou possessed and he decided that the pup was worthy to be his son, so he brought the mortal home with him to live and become his bound concubine.

"My father was a fool. He underestimated my mother's sense of honor and my sense of loyalty to the family. We both refused to recognize her as being part of the family and my mother refused to share her bed and marriage with the mortal. The two of us fought with my father about it quite frequently, and sometimes blood was shed. The pregnant whore did not know her place and would often end the fight by interfering one way or another," Sesshoumaru paused and spoke the next phrase with more emphasis, "an offense often punishable by death."

"When the hanyou was born and my father gave him the name of Inuyasha, a family name indicating that he was accepted as his son, my mother killed herself. Shortly thereafter, I left my father's home to make a name for myself apart from him. Inuyasha did not grow up knowing me. I rarely saw him as a child and when I did, he avoided any contact with me. I am certain that he only knew me by what his mother told him about me, which was probably not very flattering considering that I tried to kill her for interfering in a fight between my parents.

"As for the swords; I did not know of the Tenseiga and Tetsusaiga until after my father's death."

Kagome felt her throat tighten as she gazed back at Sesshoumaru. His eyes never left her face as he told her about his parents and Inuyasha's birth and she felt a strange sense of understanding settle in her belly.

"Thank you… for telling me."

"Do you feel less guilty now?"

Kagome smiled painfully and shook her head. She wanted to cry for Sesshoumaru, for the loss of his family and the pain he must have felt growing up in a home where one parent cared more about themselves than they did for their family. The only thing holding back her tears was Sesshoumaru's own pride. She felt it would be insulting to him for her to shed any tears.

"No, I feel something else," Kagome said, "I am impressed with you, Sesshoumaru. I'm glad you are not the person Inuyasha made you out to be. I'm glad to know you better now."


	17. chapter sixteen :: Akuma

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
chapter sixteen : Magatsuhi

* * *

Kagome giggled as she watched Rin and Shippou tease each other incessantly. The two had been playing an energetic game of hide-and-go-seek and Shippou was winning, much to Rin's frustrated displeasure.

Shippou was using his ability to transform to his advantage, forcing Rin to be more creative in her stalking techniques. Kagome watched with mirth as the girl carefully worked to ambush her overconfident prey, a contagious smile plastered on the eight-year-old's face. Just as Shippou expected Rin to pass him by, she tackled him and now the two of them were chasing each other through the trees and tall grass screaming and giggling all the while.

It was a sight that made Kagome feel good deep in her heart. She enjoyed seeing Shippou so happy and enjoying his youth. The boy had been through so much in such a short amount of time that Kagome was beginning to wonder if he had forgotten how to act like a child. He was only ten years old, much too young to have such worries and pains plaguing his heart.

Originally, Kagome did not want Shippou to follow her to Sesshoumaru's domain. She wanted him to go back to the village and stay with Kaede. She wanted him to be safe. Nevertheless, Shippou refused to let her go off on her own. Now as she watched Shippou and Rin play, she could not help but feel glad that he came. Who would have thought that coming to live with Sesshoumaru and Rin would give Shippou back part of his childhood?

A sudden oof and a loud cry brought Kagome to her feet. She stood on the tips of her toes and scanned the tall grass looking for any sign of Shippou or Rin.

"Kagome!" Shippou called from somewhere in the grass, the tone of his voice causing her to hurry.

As Kagome made her way toward the source of the voice, she could make out the sounds of soft crying and knew in her gut that Rin was hurt. With quickening steps, Kagome made her way through the tall grass to find Rin clutching her bloodied knee on the ground with tears in her eyes. Shippou was kneeled next to her looking worried as he muttered apologies at the girl.

"What happened?" Kagome asked as she knelt down next to the girl and gently touched her leg.

"I-- I was chasing her and lost sight of her." Shippou said as he glanced up at Kagome, "Then I caught her scent and ran after it… and I just ran into her and made her fall. I think she might have landed on that rock over there." He nodded toward the offending object before turning his attention back to Rin, "I'm sorry, Rin. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Kagome nodded as she continued to examine the wound. Rin's knee looked bad, and Kagome wondered just how deep her wound went. Rin winced as Kagome began to clean the wound with the hem of her kimono, soaking up the blood as she went. As the blood was wiped away, Kagome was relieved to see that it looked far worse than it actually was. It was a large scrape and it bled quite a bit, but the wound was nothing serious. It would be sore for a while, but would heal quickly.

Rin's tears dried quickly as Kagome continued to tend to her wound while Shippou looked on worriedly. The little girl leaned slightly closer to Kagome to get a better look at her own injury before turning her eyes to Shippou. "Rin isn't hurt bad," she said with a cheerful grin as the kitsune inspected the wound for himself.

"It's just a scrape!" Shippou exclaimed in a very Inuyasha-like fashion. "You cried like that over a tiny little scrape?!"

"It hurt Rin!"

"Baby."

"Shippou!" Kagome admonished.

The kitsune frowned and set his jaw stubbornly.

"Well, she is," he muttered.

Kagome patted Rin's leg gently, "It looks a lot worse than it is. I'm sure you'll be back to running down Shippou tomorrow." Kagome smiled at the girl and got a giggle in response.

"He was cheating, Kagome-oneesan." Rin said with a very Sesshoumaru-like smirk as Kagome wrapped a strip of torn-off cloth around the scrape.

Shippou glared at the girl, "I was not!"

"You were to! You changed!"

Shippou huffed and looked away, "I can't help it if I have talents you don't."

Kagome's mouth went agape. "Shippou!"

"What?! She finds me too quick if I don't transform."

"Then maybe you need to learn to find better hiding places."

"Yeah!" Rin grinned happily at Kagome, glad to have the older girl on her side.

"I wasn't cheating," Shippou grumbled, feeling suddenly outnumbered.

The sound of Rin's giggles seemed to fade as the hair on the back of Kagome's neck started to stand on end, sending a chill down her spine. Her palms started to sweat and her heart pounded loudly in her chest.

Magatsuhi was near, his presence making her want to gag. He was stalking her. She could feel it.

"Kagome?"

Kagome stood and scanned the area around them wildly, searching for him, certain that she would see him lumbering out of the grass at any moment.

Shippou looked around and sniffed the air, searching for the thing that was making Kagome act so nervous. He could not smell anything yet, but seeing the way Kagome was acting made his stomach flutter uneasily in his belly.

"Kagome?" He asked again, "What's going on?"

The older girl said nothing as she bend down and gathered a surprised Rin in her arms. She held the girl tightly against her and gazed down at Shippou intently. "Let's get back. Now."

With that, they ran.

"Rin is scared!" the little girl cried as she clung to Kagome. She could not see nor hear the thing that was chasing them, but the way Kagome and Shippou were reacting to it was enough to strike fear into the heart of the little girl. "Rin wants Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Kagome reflexively hugged the girl tighter as she slowed, causing Rin to squeak in protest. She wanted to go faster, not slower.

"Shippou, I need you to transform and fly Rin back," Kagome said between breaths as she stopped in her tracks.

"What are you doing?!" Shippou yelled in alarm, his adrenaline working overtime as he finally caught a whiff of their strange pursuer. "We have to keep going! It's getting closer!"

Kagome studied the landscape before letting her eyes fall on the frightened cub. "I know he's catching up to us, Shippou. The three of us will not be able to outrun him. Transform and take Rin with you. Go to Sesshoumaru."

"Sesshoumaru-sama will save us!"

"But, Kagome—"

"Shippou, you know I'm right."

"Kagome-oneesan…"

The boy hesitated. "I can't leave—"

"Now!"

"I don't want to leave you!"

Expression hard, Kagome glared down at the kitsune. "Shippou, he's after _me_. He has no interest in either of you, but he will hurt you both to hurt me, too."

"But I can take—"

"Do you understand, Shippou?" Kagome interupted. "I can't let that happen. You have to take her and go."

Rin began to weep as Kagome pushed the small girl toward Shippou.

"Do what I say, Shippou."

"But I can take us all back!"

"No, you can't. You won't be fast enough with me." She kneeled down next to the boy who remained unconvinced, "Please, Shippou."

Kagome felt her heart swell with pride as she watched the fear shining in Shippou's eyes melt into determination and resolve. He nodded to her once before taking a step back and transforming.

"Rin!"

The girl looked up at Kagome hesitantly. "Kagome-oneesan," she whined, her eyes pleading.

"Go on, Rin. Tell Sesshoumaru where I am, okay?"

The little girl hesitated as she peered up at Kagome with uncertainty in her eyes.

"Hurry!"

Rin's eyes widened slightly at the commanding tone in Kagome's voice before scrambling onto Shippou's back. "Shippou and Rin will get Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"I'm counting on you, Shippou," Kagome said quietly as Shippou began to rise into the air. "Take care of Rin… and be careful."

Kagome waved to them briefly as they faded in the distance before turning around to face her advisory. He was upon her now, circling her like a shark and searching for an opening.

_'Midoriko…'_

The loud snap of a twig caused her to spin around toward the sound. He was taunting her.

_'Midoriko, I need you…'_

Her skin was crawling with anxiety as her eyes scanned the landscape. She was certain the shadows were becoming darker and more ominous around her, though she could still feel the warmth of the afternoon sun on her shoulders and back.

_'Midoriko!'_

Panic was threatening to overwhelm her as she felt her vulnerability become amplified with every passing second. She could not sense Midoriko at all; Sesshoumaru was nowhere to be found… she was alone. She wasn't supposed to be facing him alone!

Fear gripped her as past nightmares filtered through her mind. She clenched her fist and willed herself to remain calm, but the adrenaline pumping through her body made it difficult for her not to panic.

'_Sesshoumaru will come._' she told herself. '_Shippou and Rin will be okay and Sesshoumaru will come._'

She repeated the mantra over and over again in her mind until she felt her shoulders relax ever so slightly. Gritting her teeth, Kagome pushed down her fear as far as she could and prepared herself. If she were going to die, she would do it with her head held high and her fists up. She would not succumb without a fight, even if the odds were against her.

"I know you're there, Magatsuhi! Stop hiding!"

A gentle rustling sound slowly moved toward her, increasing in volume with each step. Kagome felt her muscles tense as she waited and silently pleaded with Midoriko to wake up.

The silhouette of a man appeared before her, his features becoming clearer with each step he took. The first thing Kagome noticed about him was that his face and body were all wrong. He looked too friendly, too normal and too human -- but the aura surrounding him left no doubt. He reeked of a virulence that could only be created by Magatsuhi himself.

The idea that a human would chose to merge with Magatsuhi was an unthinkable concept in Kagome's mind, but her experience over the years taught her that nothing was impossible. There was no doubt in Kagome's mind about the identity of the man who stood before her. Regardless of the body he chose to hide himself in, the thing in front of her was Magatsuhi.

He smiled at her, his eyes glinting happily in the afternoon sun.

"There's my little Kagome-chan."

A chill moved up Kagome's spine at the sound of his voice, causing her to grimace. His voice sounded sweet and kind, but there was a quiet, yet distinct tone of malice present that made the muscles in Kagome's back grow tense. She recognized the duality, but it contained a quality to it that she did not recognize. It felt as though the voice of Magatsuhi was stronger than the voice of the man, as though the man was just a toy. Yet, it was the man's voice that rang the loudest.

Indeed, the man was hiding Magatsuhi within his flesh. Kagome recognized the enmity at once and a sense of déjà vu flooded her mind.

He tilted his head to one side as he leered at her. "You're wearing your hair differently today."

Kagome blinked at him oddly as she touched the braid hanging over her shoulder. "You've been watching me."

"Of course I have. I've been watching you both," Magatsuhi said with a sneer. "You and the youkai lord have become such good friends, haven't you?"

"He's on his way here."

Magatsuhi laughed harshly, "Is that a warning?"

"I'm just stating a fact."

"Ahh, yes. Then we'll have to hurry, ne?"


	18. chapter seventeen :: obscurity

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
chapter seventeen : obscurity

* * *

Sesshoumaru felt his hackles rise at the delicate scent of fear and hostility wafting in the air. The smells were too familiar and they caused Sesshoumaru's blood to surge with power as his senses become more acute. He scented the air again and closed his eyes, letting his inborn instincts sort through the subtle clues.

Rin's aroma told him that her heart was filled with fear and that she was hurt and bleeding. Shippou's youkai blood sung with an agitated surge of adrenaline, testimony to the fact that the child was ready to engage in battle if need be. Taking another deep breath, Sesshoumaru sought after Kagome's distinct scent, but found it to be missing.

She was not with them. Neither was the source of their fear and agitation. Sesshoumaru grimaced; he was a fool for letting them wander so far from his home.

As he began to track the scent through the air, a sense of worry began to form a knot in his belly. The kitsune child would not leave Kagome unless she told him to. He had seen the way the brat defended his adoptive mother from perceived threats and knew the child to be completely loyal to her. The boy had stood up against Sesshoumaru himself in an effort to protect her, he was not one to turn tail and abandon her when the situation grew dangerous.

Something was horribly wrong. Kagome was in trouble and had sent the children away. With a deep sense of unease, the youkai lord moved to intercept the pair.

• • •

He felt something under his flesh quiver and come to life as she stood against him. It was a strange sensation, but he found it somewhat satisfying when he noted the change in her expression. He enjoyed the way her eyes grew large and her skin grew pale while looking at him. He liked the look of aversion mixed with fear that seemed to twinkle in her eyes.

"You- you let it inside of you?"

Yuji raised his eyebrow at her and smiled. "I let what inside of me, Kagome-chan?"

She raised her eyes to look at him, not bothering to hide her surprise. "You- Magatsuhi..."

"Why do you keep calling me Magatsuhi!?"

Kagome could only stare at him in bewilderment as he glared at her. No wonder his aura was so strange! The human didn't seem to know what it was that was inside of him... but then, how could Magatsuhi enter him without the man realizing it? Surely, this man had to realize that he was possessed. Couldn't he detect the strange inflection within his own voice? Couldn't he feel the presence of Magatsuhi within him? Was it possible that Magatsuhi had overtaken this man without invitation?

"You know my name! Now call me by name, bitch!"

'_Midoriko..._'

"I– I only know you as Magatsuhi."

"Lie! I can't fucking stand lying!" He screamed at her as spittle flew out of his mouth. "Especially from a damn whore!"

Kagome felt her mouth grow dry as she watched the man tremble in anger. In a matter of seconds, he went from speaking to her in an almost pleasant fashion to screaming at her in rage. Apparently, Magatsuhi had just enough control over the man to coerce him into doing his will, yet the man did not realize that he was being coerced to begin with.

'_Midoriko!'_

"Every night, I see you! Every damn night! And you have the audacity to stand there and play dumb with me," He began to step toward her, his eyes flashing brightly. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

'_Midoriko!_'

"I'm going to write Yuji Omogata into your damn chest, you lying whore!"

Kagome let out a startled eep as he lunged at her. She threw up her arms in an effort to defend herself and felt a familiar surge of power move through her and out her hands. In stunned silence, she watched as Yuji slumped to the ground seemingly unconscious, miasma staining the dented tree trunk behind him.

A feeling of elation moved through Kagome as she recognized the waking presence of Midoriko. She concentrated on the presence and called to her, slowly pulling Midoriko from the depths while keeping a watchful eye on Yuji.

A chuckle filled her ears as Magatsuhi's pure black eyes rose to meet hers, leaving no doubt as to who was in control over the mortal flesh. His skin grew hazy and dark as miasma began to ooze out of his pores, poisoning the air with its stench. The vegetation around him began to take on a sickly color as the plants withered and died. The earth itself seemed to pull away from him as the thick, inky fluid convalesced around him. With every passing second, the substance coated his entire body, forming a tainted second skin that glistened oddly in the light of the sun.

Kagome made a face at the sight, earning another hearty chuckle from the beast. Magatsuhi could feel the rising power within her and knew that Midoriko was awakening. But even if she took over the flesh completely, it still would not be enough.

Midoriko, and her descendant, Kagome, were fools -- both of them. To squander such talent and ability by living as normal human woman was preposterous. He had attempted to open Midoriko's eyes centuries ago, but his attempt yielded the birth of the Shikon no Tama. He tried to do it again through Kikyou, but she was not Midoriko's true heir and she stubbornly refused to taint the Shikon no Tama right up to her last breath.

"You should have waited for me, Kagome-chan," Magatsuhi said as he gathered himself and stood, regarding her with excitement in his eyes.

The woman before him was the one, and probably his last, best chance. She had already shown an inclination to give in to the urgings of power. By doing so she killed the hanyou she loved. She was untrained and naïve, she gave her heart too easily and she was too trusting. Her defiance was encouraging, but her disgusting sense of selfless made him sick.

He would force her to choose selfishly. He would force her to give in to the urgings of that power once more and then taint her heart. Then he would join with her, and through their union, he would punish the soul of Midoriko for her blatant defiance of him.

Magatsuhi could not help but to smile at her as he called the miasma embedded into the tree trunk to his body. "Midoriko is awakening. Good."

Kagome stood stock still with her chin held high as he began to approach her, "You're glad?"

"Oh yes," he said as he enjoyed her display of bravery. His eyes moved down to her small fists, watching them clench at her sides. She was trying to pull Midoriko out, he could feel the shift of power begin to stir within her and knew it was time to strike.

He attacked with an unnatural swiftness, leaving Kagome barely enough time to blink at the realization of the incoming assault. To her credit, she was able to pull together enough power to partially shield herself against the blow that sent her flying. She remained conscious, though dazed.

Struggling against Magatsuhi, he mounted her and straddling her chest. The weight of his body prevented her from gaining any advantage and left her gasping for air. With one hand free, she pushed against him, burning him with her natural-born talents and causing him to snarl at her in rage.

"Bitch!" he screamed as he hit her across the face with his fist once, then twice. He smirk as he peered down at her and took in her bloodied nose, split lip and dazed expression. She moaned softly as he grabbed her jaw and let his miasma coat the lower half of her face and slowly seep into her mouth.

The absence of Midoriko from Kagome's mind for so long left the young woman vulnerable. She was untrained and unaccustomed to fighting one-on-one against advisories of great power, which made her slow and sloppy. Magatsuhi knew if he waited for Midoriko to regain complete control, the situation would be far more difficult. However, he felt certain that he still would have had the upper hand. He only wanted Midoriko to be on the very edge of Kagome's consciousness, a fluttering presence that would serve as a sweet reminder to the girl of her weakness and proper place.

She belonged to him.

• • •

The Tenseiga hummed to life as he sped toward the edge of the forest where Shippou told him she should be. It pulsed against his hip and his flesh tingled with every beat. Its potency seemed to seep within Sesshoumaru's body, honing his battle instincts and preparing him for the onset of war.

The reaction of the Tenseiga was more than enough to convince him that his decision to have Jaken deliver the Tetsusaiga to him had been a correct one. There had been few moments since Sesshoumaru had acquired the healing sword that he felt it resonate with power. The first had been the time when his brother had finally learned how to properly use the Tetsusaiga and the Tenseiga protected him; the second had been when he found Rin's corpse. In both of those instances, the will of the sword had caught him by complete surprise.

Now as he flew at top speed toward the area Kagome was last known to have been, it seemed to radiate with power and intent. Even when Sesshoumaru had wielded the transformed Tetsusaiga with a human hand, he did not experience a potential like this. It was an incredible sensation. Sesshoumaru could not help but to feel curious about what the Tetsusaiga would feel like when it thrummed with this kind of energy. The very thought of wielding that kind of power excited him on a primal level.

Sesshoumaru's wrath surged through his veins when he caught the first faint scent of miasma lingering in the air. It smelled wrong. It was different from the scent that polluted his nose when he had previous run-ins with Naraku and it was different from the scent from when the Toukijin bled.

His mind made note of the change, making sure to investigate the difference when he had the time. As he rushed toward the stench, it warned him that he was close to his prey and to be cautious in his approach, yet it also spurned him forward with a renewed sense of urgency. Her blood scent was mingled within the stink of miasma, along with the strange smell of burning flesh.

Slowing his approach and remaining downwind of his prey, Sesshoumaru carefully studied the scene before him. Time seemed to slow as he began his careful observation. He could see Kagome sprawled out on her back with something human-like in appearance sitting on top of her He could only surmise that it was the thing she called "Magatsuhi" and it appeared to be trying to smother her with miasma. The overpowering fetor made him want to gag as he surveyed the clearing, trying to discern the source of each of the strange mix of odors before initiating an attack.

He smirked to himself when he saw the source of the scent of burning flesh. From his vantage point, Sesshoumaru could see that Kagome had one arm free, which she used to grasp Magatsuhi's face, burning the side of his jaw and neck. Even in her weakened and prone position, she fought back, and a sense of renewed respect and pride filled him.

Magatsuhi, on the other hand, seemed more annoyed by her attempts of resistance than injured by them. As Sesshoumaru watched, Kagome's attempts to ward off Magatsuhi began to falter. Magatsuhi took advantage of her decline and hit her upside the head, eliciting a low growl from the youkai lord watching him from above. Sesshoumaru's blood urged him to rush in and tear the beast limb from limb, but rational thought remained in control as he continued to observe. Sesshoumaru knew that if he attacked too hastily and without the proper foresight, Kagome would be the one to suffer most. Magatsuhi had the upper hand.

However, Magatsuhi also appeared to be completely focused on her, which meant he was most prone to attack from behind. Sesshoumaru steadily circled around Magatsuhi, making sure he did not hover directly upwind of his advisory and give away his position too soon. When the time for attack came, Sesshoumaru would have to move completely upwind of him and strike faster than the air moved in order to maintain the element of surprise.

The muscles in Sesshoumaru's shoulders grew more tense as he studied Magatsuhi. Kagome was not moving, she appeared dazed or unconscious and the thing sitting on her was beginning to pull at her kimono, attempting to part it. Sesshoumaru pursed his lips together as he quickly sought a visible weakness that he could capitalize upon without harming the woman-child and smiled to himself when a plan formed in his mind.

With a flurry of silent movement, Sesshoumaru was upon them, his whip striking the beast multiple times across the neck and back. Magatsuhi fell forward hard, pushing his chest into Kagome's face from the force of the blows. Sesshoumaru wasted no time in his attack and struck the beast again, forcing him to defend himself as he rolled off Kagome with a grunt.

Claws flashing, Sesshoumaru pressed into his opponent, letting his poison drip from his hands. Magatsuhi was quick to recover and threw his miasma at him, forming black tentacles that shot out at Sesshoumaru in countless directions at once. Sesshoumaru leaped back and made a hasty beeline toward Kagome's prone form. Placing himself between her and Magatsuhi, Sesshoumaru eyed his advisory with distain, waiting for him to make his next move.

• • •

Magatsuhi drew the evil viscosity back into himself as he glared back at Sesshoumaru, a slight smirk forming on his face. The miasma inside of Kagome was unlike the miasma both beings had become accustomed to and the youkai lord had arrived at precisely the right moment. Magatsuhi counted on having just enough time to force his miasma down her throat and into her belly before Sesshoumaru arrived to play the role of hero.

Kagome was naturally immune. She could purify it in an instant, rendering the miasma inert. But Magatsuhi had a counter to her natural abilities. By saturating it with spiritual evil, it would become potent enough to poison her, yet not kill her or render her permanently comatose.

He did not want to kill her. He wanted to defile her. In order to do this, Magatsuhi had poured part of himself into her -- along with the most corrupt part of Yuji's soul into her body.

She would be overwhelmed with the horror that haunted Yuji. She would see the terror that he was cabable of and would willingly choose to succumb to Magatsuhi because he would be there inside of her, offering an oasis from the darkness.


	19. chapter eighteen :: shadows

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
chapter eighteen : shadows

* * *

She seemed to be floating in a sleepy haze of confusion. Bizarre shadows that moved in unnatural ways surrounded her on all sides causing her to feel strangely claustrophobic. Heaviness seemed to descend upon her and forced her to the ground. It pulled at her, leaving her feeling cold and exposed.

Soon after, strange sensations of pain filled her mind. Her hands throbbed with torment and the skin on her chest felt like it was on fire. There seemed to be something sitting on her, making it difficult to breathe and causing her to gasp. She flexed her hands experimentally and felt a cruel sting of pain move through her. She tried to cry out, but found she did not have a voice to do so.

A hand pressed against the burning part of her chest and rubbed painfully, "There, take a look."

Terror gripped her at the sound of the voice and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"I said _look!_"

Blue eyes blinked open hesitantly to see a man looming above her. A man she recognized from before, the man who called himself Yuji. She grimaced as he leered at her, his eyes trailing over her body.

"Mine," he said with a gleeful whisper. "You're mine."

• • •

Sesshoumaru maintained an outward look of calm as he watched his opponent shift from one foot to the other. Magatsuhi's eyes would dart from Kagome's unconscious form to Sesshoumaru and back again, a look of excitement and anticipation evident in his face.

"You filled her with your miasma."

Magatsuhi smirked, "Perhaps."

Sparing a glance behind him, Sesshoumaru quickly gauged the state of the woman-child and frowned. Her scent was steadily changing, warning the youkai lord that Magatsuhi must have poisoned her and the substance was working its way through her body. He could not identify the type of poison that Magatsuhi forced her to swallow; its scent was unlike any he ever inhaled before. The way her eyes darted beneath her eyelids and the spasmodic way her hands clutched at the soil told him that she was deeply immersed in nightmare. Her reaction to the venom was unusual; causing Sesshoumaru to theorize that it was a mind-altering substance that Magatsuhi filled her belly with and not something meant to actually kill her.

As he continued to examine her, he noted that her eyes were beginning to flutter open and a sense of relief filled him in that instant. She was fighting it. Loud coughs and gags sounded from her throat as Sesshoumaru turned his full attention back to Magatsuhi, though he still listened to the sounds the woman-child made behind him.

Magatsuhi's face did not change in expression as he watched Kagome gag and try to rid her mouth and body of the miasma. "They're more fun when they try to fight back, don't you think, Sesshoumaru?"

"It wouldn't be a worthy fight if they didn't."

A wide grin acknowledged Sesshoumaru's response.

"Though you seem to enjoy going after opponents that lack proper training and ability. That is typical of a coward."

"Ah, Sesshoumaru," the beast said with a friendly grin, "you don't know her like _I_ know her."

Kagome's strangled gasps suddenly grew louder causing Sesshoumaru's reply to die in his throat. He spared a glance over his shoulder and saw her begin to claw at her neck as though she were choking, bringing the youkai lord to her side. Instinct and experience told him that she was still deep in the throes of the poison. Her eyes were glazed over and unfocused and her lips were starting to turn purple. She began to dry heave, her body becoming more urgent in its attempt to purge itself. The youkai lord hastily rolled her over onto her side as her body lurched once more and she vomited. Sesshoumaru had to repress a cringe when he saw the familiar black mucus pour out of her mouth and burn the surrounding grass beside her.

"That will do her no good."

Sesshoumaru ignored the cheery voice as he let his peaking rage boil over. He reached for the woman-child and cleaned her face with his sleeve before carefully laying her down a few feet from where she just vomited.

"Part of me is inside of her," Magatsuhi said matter-of-factly. "She belongs to me now. Always."

• • •

Kagome struggled against him with everything she had in her. She did not care that she was naked beneath him or how much physical pain he caused her; she knew those things were inconsequential. She knew he wanted to do something much worse to her than cause her physical pain.

He was after her heart and soul.

She pushed back against him with a distressed grunt and forced herself to her knees, attempting to rise. Yuji lunged at her, causing her to scurry backwards as she tried unsuccessfully to get to her feet for a second time. With a strength no human should possess, he threw her to the ground, forcing the air out of her lungs. His hands clamped around her neck and squeezed hard, strangling her. As her lungs burned for oxygen, she saw several strange flashes in her mind of Sesshoumaru squaring off against an enemy lurking in the shadows. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut against the pain of asphyxiation and a flood of images filled her mind.

She realized in an instant that she was somewhere different from where she had just been. She was looking at an entirely different scene and she was outside of herself and looking down. She could see herself gagging and clawing at herself. She saw Sesshoumaru step toward her with a concerned look on his face and the echo of joyful giggles sounded in her ears. She looked toward the direction of the sound to see Magatsuhi, grinning madly.

The vision of Magatsuhi brought her back to reality and she opened her eyes once more to see Yuji baring his teeth at her as he squeezed her throat shut.

'_This isn't real. This is all in my mind..._'

Kagome's will to survive invigorated her and she clawed at Yuji while bucking her hips in an attempt to throw him off-balance. Her efforts were rewarded as his grip around her throat lessened enough for her to suck in a deep, lung full of air and she rolled her upper body away from him. He swore at her as he reached out to her again, pulling at her hair and wrenching her shoulder back.

"You're going to force me to keep hurting you," he hissed as he held her in his lap and forced her to look at him. "You can feel it, can't you? Call upon that power, Kagome-chan. Give into it."

"No!"

"I don't want to damage you, but you're forcing me to!"

"No! This isn't real," Kagome gasped. "You're not real."

"Am I not real?" A voice asked that Kagome recognized at once. The soothing quality of his voice causing her breath to catch in her throat.

• • •

A feral rage sparked within Sesshoumaru as he watched Kagome curl up into a fetal position. No longer was she twitching or coughing. Instead, she was staring off into nothingness much as she did when Sesshoumaru found her at his brother's grave. Whatever Magatsuhi forced into her was attacking her mind and with every passing moment the risk of permanent damage increased.

He could no longer wait for Jaken to bring the Tetsusaiga and Sesshoumaru wanted to transform. He wanted to clamp his jaws down on the thing in front of him and feel his bones crunch under her teeth. Sesshoumaru hoped that Magatsuhi was the type that was hard to kill, because ending his life quickly would be wholly unsatisfying. He wanted rip Magatsuhi's heart from his chest and shove it down his throat. He wanted to pull his flesh apart and toy with him as a child would pull apart and toy with an insect.

Such bloodlust was an unfamiliar thing to Sesshoumaru. He preferred the quick and efficient. He did not like to dirty himself with the act of fighting and killing lesser beings. When the situation allowed for it, he enjoyed being creative on the battlefield, but still when the time came to end the game and kill his opponent, he did so quickly. A slow death was in Magatsuhi's future; Sesshoumaru's rage demanded nothing less. He would delight in staining the earth with his blood.

Power radiated from Sesshoumaru as he let his eyes move from the woman-child to the thing standing only a few hundred yards away. The familiar pulse of the Tenseiga grew stronger against him, demanding attention. He knew at once what the will of the sword was and he slowly wrapped his hand around the hilt with great exaggeration so Magatsuhi would not miss what the youkai lord's intentions were.

• • •

Kagome's eyes grew wide with horror and disbelief as she stared up into the familiar golden eyes of Sesshoumaru. His features stretched into an expression she was still unfamiliar with as he smiled down at her.

"You can feel this," he said, as he drove two clawed fingers into the fleshy part of her shoulder between her armpit and the top of her breast, "can't you?"

Kagome winced and bit her lip as Sesshoumaru dug his fingers in a little deeper, the expression of calm on his face never wavering. She only cried out when he wiggled them, sending bolts of pain through her that left her gasping.

Sesshoumaru watched her intently as he held her in his lap and proceeded to lick the blood from his fingers. He smiled that same odd smile at her again when he noticed her tear-filled eyes upon him.

"Was that not real?"

"N-no."

Sesshoumaru smirked and roughly ran his nail around the edge of her shoulder wound, widening it, before letting his claw rake across her bare breast. "It hurts, does it not? Everything in you hurts."

"You- you're not _real_."

"I am," he said quietly as he cradled her closer to him. His touch was kind, if not loving. "I can take all the hurt away, Kagome. All of it. Forever. Or, I can make it much, much worse. For you and everyone you love."

"No."

"No?"

"You're not Sesshoumaru. You're a lie."

"A lie, am I?" An amused chuckle sounded from Sesshoumaru's throat, "I am not the one here who is a lie, you are."

Kagome opened her mouth to protest only to have Sesshoumaru's hand placed over her lips.

"I know what I am and I know what I want. You however, are the one who is misguided and pretending to be something you are not. You are the one living day after day not knowing what it is you want. You don't have to live like them, Kagome. You are not one of them. Give in to that power, embrace it -- _use_ it. Let me show you."

Kagome shuddered within his grasp, knowing he was tempting her to give in to the darkness that followed the Shikon no Tama wherever it goes. He wanted her to become like him.

Another clawed finger pushed against the torn flesh of her shoulder and she recoiled. He pulled his hand away from the wound and smirked as he waited for her to recover from the pain.

"You're... Magatsuhi..."

"Does my form confuse you?" He asked innocently. "I can assume any form you wish. I choose this one because I thought it would be most effective."

Kagome felt his flesh shift beneath her, giving her a start. She looked back up at Sesshoumaru only to see the face of another. Her heart pounded hard in her chest and her mouth went dry as she looked at him.

"Is this better?" a gruff voice asked from a body that looked identical to Inuyasha. "I can be anything Kagome, because I know what I am. You think you're human but you're not. Would it make you feel better if I pretended to be human, too?"

His form changed again and Kagome found herself looking into the eyes of Miroku. "I'll pretend with you, Kagome-sama. Just do as I ask. You don't want to be powerless, do you? You don't want me to hurt you again, right?"

His flesh shifted once more and suddenly, he was Kouga. "It will be easier for everyone if you just give in."

A moment later and another shift, and he was Hojo. "No more pain for you to hide from."

A shift, and Kagome was in the arms of an adult Shippou. "Just peace, Kagome. Peace and control."

Kagome tried to push herself out of his lap, only to feel her injured shoulder scream in protest.

"Now, now my little Kagome-chan," a gentle voice chided. "Be careful. You don't want to make that wound worse, do you?"

Kagome blinked up at him and felt her world stop as she looked into the familiar eyes of her father. She felt her throat tighten and heard her voice break. "N-no please, no."

Her father smiled at her and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes.

"Stop…"

"Stop what, Kagome-chan? Do you want the pain to stop?"

"You're not real."

"Kagome-chan..."

Squeezing her eyes shut, she worked to center herself. "Get out."

"Hmm?"

"Get. Out." A sudden flair of light was the only thing Magatsuhi was aware of as he felt his flesh begin to melt. Kagome pushed herself away from him, sending him sprawling back and cursing as he realized what she was trying to do.

"You can't… YOU CAN'T PURIFY ME!"

Kagome stood uncertainly as she turned to face him. One hand held her hurt shoulder as she glared at him and watched him shift back into his true form. The beast took a reflexive step back as he watched her begin to gather her power around her.

"Midoriko, you bitch," Magatsuhi muttered under his breath as he continued to examine her aura, searching for the long dead miko-warrior's distinct pattern. If he could find that pattern, he could attack it and cripple Kagome's efforts to force him out of her. His search became frantic as Kagome's power continued to grow and an unnerving feeling of shock settled in Magatsuhi's stomach. Midoriko was not doing this; it was Kagome herself utilizing her own natural-born abilities against him.

Kagome had given into her power without him being in control of her.

"I SAID GET OUT!"

• • •

Sesshoumaru did not know if the sword would heal Kagome. He never tried to use it to heal someone who was still alive before. The only time Sesshoumaru used it on a living creature was when he had slashed Jaken. He had used it as a demonstration to show why he was unsatisfied with his inheritance. Every other time Sesshoumaru used the sword it was to resurrect the dead. Kagome was not yet dead, but he felt the Tenseiga increasingly demand him to use it.

The look for delight in Magatsuhi's eyes immediately changed as Sesshoumaru wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the Tenseiga. The shift in his expression was enough to prove to Sesshoumaru that giving in to the demands of the sword was the correct course of action.

He held the hilt tighter as it grew warm within his fist, urging him to use it. With a half step toward the fallen girl, Sesshoumaru unsheathed the Tenseiga and slashed at her in one swift motion. The moment the sword made contact with her skin, a delicate crackling sound could be heard, followed by a visible line of light that quickly disappeared.

Sesshoumaru watched her expectantly while keeping his ears trained on Magatsuhi. If either moved, he would know it in an instant. The Tenseiga felt much calmer in his hand and Sesshoumaru immediately sheathed it while waiting for Kagome to awaken.

"You haven't stopped me," Magatsuhi called out as he watched the scene from a distance.

"I do not presume to think so," Sesshoumaru replied as he watched Kagome's eyes slowly blink open. She winced at the brightness of the sun before letting her eyes fall on the youkai lord. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Kagome finally looked down at herself, inspecting her body for injuries and pulling her kimono tighter around her.

"Stay where you are and rest," Sesshoumaru commanded her quietly when she struggled to stand. "The Tetsusaiga is on its way here, but I may be finished by then. If not, you need to figure out how to break the seal."

Kagome swallowed hard and nodded hesitantly.

Golden eyes narrowed as they examined her and Sesshoumaru wondered if the venom Magatsuhi filled her with had done something to her that the Tenseiga could not heal. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes," Kagome whispered. "You resurrected us?"

"No, you were not dead, though he did fill you with a noxious poison. You were under his influence for only a few minutes."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head as he looked at her. He could feel a strange current of power within her, a power that was uniquely her own. Concentrating on her, he tried to feel the presence of Midoriko within her. The woman-child was referring to herself in the third person, indicating that Midoriko was awake, though Sesshoumaru could not sense her power within Kagome.

"Are you certain you are alright? You are acting strangely."

"Yes, I'm sorry," she smiled weakly. "Kagome had several strange visions and we—"

Kagome was cut off as Sesshoumaru suddenly grabbed her and leapt into the air, dodging an onslaught of tentacles. She held onto Sesshoumaru tightly, her eyes wide and they watched Magatsuhi's tentacles change their trajectory to follow them.

Worry gripped at Kagome's heart as she watched Magatsuhi continue to attack them. His speed rivaled that of Sesshoumaru, preventing the youkai from changing into an offensive posture. She heard Sesshoumaru curse under his breath as they fled and knew he was frustrated. He could do nothing to stop Magatsuhi as long as Kagome was in his arms.

"Put us down."

"Do not distract me."

"Put us down! You can't do anything as long as you are protecting us."

Another high leap and Sesshoumaru spared the woman-child a brief glance but said nothing as he summoned them both high into the air. A tingling sensation filled Kagome's mind and she scanned the rapidly retreating ground beneath them.

"The Tetsusaiga is here!"

"I know," Sesshoumaru said as he regarded Magatsuhi from afar and sighed. "I have underestimated his strategy. He meant to distract me and I let him. He intends to keep me from the sword." Sesshoumaru turned his eyes back to Kagome; "You will have to be on guard while I retrieve the Tetsusaiga. I cannot do two things at once with this opponent."

"I understand," Kagome said softly, recognizing the intense look in Sesshoumaru's eyes. Her grip on him increased as they quickly descended. She closed her eyes as she hugged herself closer to Sesshoumaru and buried her face in his kimono, allowing herself a moment of comfort before the real battle began.


	20. chapter nineteen :: unravel darkness

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
chapter nineteen : unravel darkness

* * *

The velocity of the descent sent Kagome sprawling when Sesshoumaru released her from his grasp. She fell hard on her rump and rolled twice before regaining her balance and coming back to her feet. Without hesitation, Kagome sprinted for cover, knowing that Magatsuhi was going to target one of them.

Hiding herself behind some dense shrubbery, Kagome peeked out to watch Sesshoumaru and to keep an eye out for Magatsuhi. She could sense him close by, but he seemed to be staying in one place. She knew that if he choose to go after her she would have to defend herself until Sesshoumaru was able to get to her. Hiding behind bushes was not going to save her from Magatsuhi.

Kagome bit her lip as she watched Sesshoumaru pause in the air and stare at something on the ground. She waited anxiously for several seconds for Sesshoumaru to make a move before he suddenly darted to the ground, causing Kagome to lose sight of him when he blurred out of view.

Kagome strained her senses as she sought for the tale-tell signs of battle, only to hear and see the illusion of peace surrounding her. Panic began to melt in Kagome's heart from the silence around her. She expected to hear something, anything... but the continuing silence only made her feel all the more uneasy. Inhaling a shaky breath, Kagome let her eyes drift shut and concentrated on the presence of Magatsuhi, trying to get a read on his location.

• • •

"That brat probably gave me bad directions," Jaken mumbled as he walked through the dense grass. In his arms he carried the Tetsusaiga, carefully contained within a handsome, wooden box for safekeeping.

The kitsune cub and Rin had come to him in a frantic rush with an urgent message to deliver the Tetsusaiga to Sesshoumaru without delay. As Jaken went to retrieve the sword from Sesshoumaru's quarters, the kitsune tried to tell him what was going on. Jaken, not wanting to waste his master's time, went about to fulfill his master's request immediately. By doing so, he left Sesshoumaru's domain without letting the cub finish his tale.

In retrospect, Jaken had to admit that it might have been wise to wait a few moments to hear more detail about what was going on. Then again, Shippou was just a child and a kitsune at that. Kitsune youkai are known for their imaginations and clever tales. That was all part of kitsune trickery and the boy was no different from his ancestors. Jaken was certain that the few bits of information he heard about this new "enemy" were exaggerations to make it seem like that Miko was is some sort of great peril. If anything, Sesshoumaru had probably lost his patience with the Miko and was going to force her to break the seal on the sword.

After all, there was no being in existence, human or youkai, which could challenge Sesshoumaru and be any real threat. The cub was exaggerating and Sesshoumaru was most likely going to force the girl to break the seal once and for all. It was Jaken's hope that once she submitted to his will, Sesshoumaru would have enough sense to kill her and be done with her.

Jaken paused to wipe his brow and mutter his displeasure under his breath. That fool girl and her pet had caused too much trouble already, making Sesshoumaru act so strangely. There had been a time when Sesshoumaru looked upon all humans with disdain. He would kill them without a second thought, but then Rin came along. She somehow won favor with him and for the life of him, Jaken could not understand how or why. She was a pest.

Then the Miko came along. She had brought out the most peculiar reaction from Sesshoumaru. One day he seemed quite infatuated with her, other days he would go out of his way to tease and torment her and then other days he wanted nothing to do with her. Jaken knew that the days he avoided her were the days she was also in estrus. Jaken preferred not to be around her during those times as well, but her scent did not agitate him quite as much as it seemed to agitate Sesshoumaru.

Jaken knew logically that there were only two reasons in the world why his lord would react that way. One, her scent offended him and his nose being as sensitive as it was found it to be highly rancid. Two, he did not trust himself during that time of her cycle.

Human females did not emit as strong an odor as youkai females do when they are in estrus. The only time the scent is very strong on a human female is if they do not bathe often, and the miko bathed daily. Therefore, Jaken was certain the reason Sesshoumaru stayed away from her during that time was because his body responded too readily to the scent. This was why Jaken hoped that Sesshoumaru would kill her. The last thing Sesshoumaru wanted was to be like his father.

Killing the miko would ensure that he would never be like his deceased sire.

Jaken huffed as he studied the landscape around him. He knew he was in the area the kitsune had directed him to, but he could not find his master. Although he did find plenty of evidence pointing to a confrontation between Sesshoumaru and some unnamed enemy that Shippou had tried to tell him about. Jaken hugged the wooden box closer to his chest as he walked further into the battlefield. All around him stood the evidence of a recent battle, though the participants of the battle were nowhere to be found.

"Sesshoumaru-saaamaa!" A toadyish voice called out with a whine. "Sesshoumaru-saaamaa!"

"Jaken."

The toad spun around at the sound of the unfamiliar voice.

"Give the Tetsusaiga to me," the stranger said, holding out a clawed hand.

Jaken openly gapped as he stared at the being in front of him. He appeared to be human at first glance, except that his skin seemed to be made up of a swirling miasma that acted like a fluid. The longer Jaken stared at the being, the less human he appeared to be. It seemed as though the thing was changing shape before Jaken's eyes and he blinked hard, certain he was seeing things.

When Jaken looked again, he could no longer deny the fact that the human was indeed changing shape. His face seemed to be stretching very slowly, causing it to look grossly misshapen. His jaw and neck were far too wide and thick and his upper body too strong. His eyes reflected the light like a predator and his skin seemed rough and strangely callused, almost scale-like. Jaken could only see the upper half of his body, so he could only imagine what the rest of him looked like.

"Who are you!?"

The thing smiled slightly, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "Give it to me, Jaken."

"Where is Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Jaken scrambled backwards in a panic the instant the strange being made a move toward him. Seeing his prey attempting an escape, Magatsuhi hastened his chase, closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds, and pounced upon him. Jaken let out a pitiful yelp when he was thrown to the ground, the wooden box containing the Tetsusaiga sliding out of his grasp and skidding across the earth.

Without hesitation, Magatsuhi leaned down and tore out the side of Jaken's neck with his teeth, inflicting a mortal wound. Satisfied at the sight of the little youkai's blood pouring out of the gash, the beast pushed himself up and briskly walked toward the wooden box. The air shifted around him, causing Magatsuhi to peer upwards in time to see Sesshoumaru descend upon him, claws slashing. Unwilling to allow the youkai lord easier access to the Tetsusaiga, Magatsuhi parried without losing his ground.

A series of hard blows and deep gashes were exchanged, neither combatant willing to be forced back. Sesshoumaru studied his opponent with great care as he countered and attacked, trying to ignore the heavy scent of Jaken's death. The slashes Sesshoumaru had been able to inflict upon Magatsuhi once before were no longer as effective. His skin seemed to be growing thicker and more resistant to his claws while his body seemed to be growing denser with muscle and bone.

The human appearance Magatsuhi once held was slowing melting away to reveal a more reptilian-like being in its wake. Sesshoumaru could only assume that Magatsuhi was slowly transforming back to his true shape.

So lost in his assessment of Magatsuhi that Sesshoumaru let his guard slip. That half-second was not lost on Magatsuhi, who pulled back a heavy fist and connected it with Sesshoumaru's midsection, causing his armor to crack and forcing the air from his lungs. Sesshoumaru forced himself to recover quickly and he pressed into Magatsuhi with more tenacity. Anger at himself for letting his guard down fueled him as he pummeled Magatsuhi, not allowing the beast a chance to recover and regain his footing. Centering his strength, Sesshoumaru sent Magatsuhi flying with one solid blow.

Instinct told Sesshoumaru that he only had seconds to recover the Tetsusaiga. The strike he had landed on Magatsuhi was not enough to stop him for long, but it did allow him enough time to claim the sword.

The wood shattered and the sword revealed, Sesshoumaru did not hesitate as he wrapped his hand around the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. He knew without question that it would not resist him. It belonged to him.

The Tetsusaiga had claimed a new master.

The sword pulsed in his hand and immediately transformed, extending and growing into a graceful curve with a super fine point. It throbbed with life and power as Sesshoumaru raised it against his opponent.

Magatsuhi snarled with animal-like grace, but said nothing as he watched Sesshoumaru slowly move toward him. Nothing was going as Magatsuhi had planned. Kagome resisted his temptations. Magatsuhi's plan was for her to ask him, beg him, to help her. To _save_ her. If she submitted to him willingly, he would have access to everything within her. All her power, all her thoughts, all her nightmares and dreams -- and Midoriko, too. He would be her master and she would practically worship him.

But his plan failed.

She realized too soon that everything she saw and felt was only happening in her mind, and her realization forced Magatsuhi to try to tempt her more directly. Still, she resisted. Magatsuhi knew that if she did not submit to him, her mind would be destroyed from the internal conflict. She would forever be trapped in the nightmare he created for her. Kagome would be a lifeless shell, a waste of potential. Magatsuhi did not want her to remain like that forever, but he was prepared to accept her in that condition rather than risk having to deal with her and Sesshoumaru united as one against him.

Every second that ticked by made Magatsuhi loathe Sesshoumaru more. When he had interfered with his healing sword and revived Kagome, he had been filled with virulence. Now that the youkai lord had both swords in his possession and obeying his will, his wrath was beyond measure.

It was well past time to be rid of them. They had caused him enough trouble already. Neither one of them was going to bend to his will; they were both too proud and stubborn. He would destroy them both, and he would start with her.

Magatsuhi and Sesshoumaru clashed together with great speed and force as they made their way toward the area they both knew Kagome was hiding. Magatsuhi was clearly trying to get closer to Kagome while Sesshoumaru was trying to push him away from her. Magatsuhi could feel Kagome's power steadily increasing within her since she had awoken. If he did not move quickly, his opportunity to put an end to her would pass.

Even though Sesshoumaru held the Tetsusaiga, he still did not have an advantage over Magatsuhi. The two were still as evenly matched as they were before, perhaps more so because Sesshoumaru had placed too much faith in the untapped power of the sword that he did not yet know how to release.

The Kaze no Kizu was proof of control over the sword, but it was not an example of the Tetsusaiga's full potential. Magatsuhi knew this and suspected Sesshoumaru knew it as well.

With every slash of the sword that unleashed the power of the Kaze no Kizu, Magatsuhi was able to deflect or dodge it. Eventually their battle got close enough to where Kagome was hiding that Sesshoumaru refused to use the attack for fear for hurting her. Magatsuhi capitalized on that and pressed toward Kagome with a greater sense of purpose.

• • •

Kagome was not paying attention to the battle nor did she seem aware of the danger heading her way. She stood out in the open, facing the dueling pair unflinching. Sesshoumaru did not have the time to get a careful look at her, but he had seen that distant look on her face before. He knew that she was somehow lost within her self.

Sesshoumaru could feel a strange power surging within her, gathering itself to a central point. He realized in an instant that she was trying to draw forth all the power contained within the Shikon no Tama and focus it through her.

Magatsuhi felt it too and suddenly broke off his attack to rush at her, teeth bared and claws ready to strike. Sesshoumaru gave chase, throwing the beast temporarily off course when the ground exploded before him from the impact of the Tetsusaiga against the earth. Noxious gas and miasma surrounded Sesshoumaru, forcing him to leap into the air. Not one to miss an opening, Magatsuhi burst forth with an animal growl, intent on reaching Kagome before Sesshoumaru.

Sparing a glance at the woman child, Sesshoumaru noted that she was nearly enveloped in a strange white light that seemed to come from within her. A bright flash temporarily blinded him and forced both he and Magatsuhi to pause in their efforts to regard the strange happenings surrounding the girl.

Sesshoumaru caught the scent of Kagome's blood and peered at her intently searching for injury. She appeared unharmed, but the scent of blood grew stronger causing his fist to tighten its hold on the Tetsusaiga.

As he studied her, he saw a small, white sphere rise up before her, drops of her blood evaporating from it. Her face was turned down and her hands were in front of her chest as though she were holding the sphere, yet it spun freely in the air.

"No!" Magatsuhi shouted as he threw tendrils of miasma at the girl. She made no move as the tentacles reached out to her and impaled her through her outer thigh and grazed her neck causing blood to splatter into the air.


	21. chapter twenty :: witching hour

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
chapter twenty : witching hour

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He watched as Kagome's blood stained her kimono and dripped onto the ground, creating a small puddle at her feet. The fragrance sent shivers down his spine as he watched Magatsuhi pull his miasma out of her, tearing more of her delicate flesh in the process.

'_How dare he._'

She did not flinch when a large gash was made in her thigh, nor did she seem to hear Magatsuhi when he screamed out and began to charge toward her. In that instant, a desire filled Sesshoumaru's heart as he watched Magatsuhi hurry toward the human. A possessive-like desire that he had not felt since his mother died.

'_How dare he!_'

More than anything, he wanted to protect her. She was important to him. She belonged to him. The fact that anyone would dare to hurt her sent white-hot bolts of fury throughout his body, causing him to ripple with power and teeter on the edge of maintaining his humanoid appearance.

He would protect her with his life.

Sesshoumaru did not feel the Tenseiga respond to his desire and vanish from its sheath on his hip. His mind was focused on Magatsuhi as he raced toward the beast, utilizing his gift of speed more than he ever had before.

• • •

Kagome was aware of a dim burning sensation from her neck and thigh that she distantly realized was pain. She felt moisture rolling down the side of her neck and collarbone and she knew that she was bleeding. Mild concern filtered through her mind as she noted the injury before the numbness that wrapped itself around her like a blanket suddenly intensified. It drowned out any sense of pain as she let her mind go blank of all worries and fears. She was only aware of a need to pull. She could not identify what she was pulling at or how, it was just a natural urging that demanded her cooperation.

Closing her eyes, Kagome concentrated on the urge and gave into it. Even with her eyes closed, she could see Sesshoumaru fighting against Magatsuhi, who had reverted to his true, dragon-like form.

Sesshoumaru too, was on the verge of full transformation. He seemed to be holding on to his humanoid appearance by a mere thread. His entire body had become bulkier and short, white fur coated his skin. Glowing red surrounded spheres of amber, making his eyes appear full of deadly intent. His teeth were long fangs that extended well past his bottom lip. The sight of him was frightening enough, but the growls he was making sounded even more ominous.

Kagome had never seen Sesshoumaru look so terrifying, yet he still maintained control and grace. Every strike and swing was as fluid and beautiful as it was deadly. His movements revealed years of training with their complexity and accuracy. Even Magatsuhi seemed mesmerized by his speed and grace, though was still able to shift from a defensive position to an offensive position and back again.

They were too evenly matched and Kagome felt concern for Sesshoumaru's welfare sting at her heart.

• • •

There was little Sesshoumaru could do but defend himself against Magatsuhi and try to keep him away from Kagome, but this tactic only angered the beast more and soon Sesshoumaru bore bloody wounds as testimony. Ignoring the pain, Sesshoumaru fought harder and felt his body shift ever closer to his true youkai form with each second. He fought his natural instinct to transform completely because he did not want to let go of the Tetsusaiga. He felt confident that Magatsuhi's rage would lead to a fatal mistake and Sesshoumaru need only to wait for that moment to come.

It was Sesshoumaru's experience that when unbridled fury entered the battle, the winner of the fight could be easily decided. The person burning with rage usually became sloppy as their attention divided. This eventually led to frustration, defeat and death. Sesshoumaru's father invested many long hours training his heir to control his temper during a fight. Learning that level of self-control was difficult for Sesshoumaru to master during his adolescence. When he was finally able to fight without being controlled by emotion, he was pleased to discover the deadly precision of his techniques.

His father had been right when he said that an opponent fighting with fire filling their heart burned itself out much quicker than an opponent with a battle hardened heart of ice. Unfortunately, that was a lesson Inuyasha never learned.

Magatsuhi, unlike Inuyasha, was as wizened a warrior as he was evil. He was clearly in a state of rage, yet his attacks were still clean and precise. Sesshoumaru knew that if he allowed himself to go into a rage like Magatsuhi, he would lose and so would Kagome. Yet, the temptation to give in to that overwhelming feeling of possessiveness and rage tormented him, making the thought of transforming completely sound even more enticing.

Sesshoumaru wanted to give in to that temptation. His youkai blood begged him to allow his natural instincts to override his intellect, but doing so meant releasing the Tetsusaiga and he knew that would be a mistake. As Sesshoumaru continued to combat Magatsuhi, he became increasingly aware of a strange humming sound that came from the sword. A humming that sounded strangely familiar and comforting.

• • •

As the combating pair moved ever closer toward her, she felt the insistence of the Shikon no Tama grow stronger. It wanted her to do more, but she did not know what. Kagome focused her mind on the jewel; willing herself to make whatever needed to happen, happen… yet she could not. She could not concentrate on the jewel while Sesshoumaru and Magatsuhi continued to fight so fiercely.

She was scared for him.

Frustration and fear gripped her and she felt the Shikon no Tama begin to slip. She could help him if she concentrated -- at least she thought she could. The sounds of battle grew louder in her ears, warning her that they would soon be upon her. Kagome panicked and opened her eyes, a feeling of uncertainty washing through her. Everything rested on this moment, if she failed the Shikon no Tama would amplify Magatsuhi's power a hundred fold and Sesshoumaru would most certainly die.

She could not afford to make a mistake.

A flash of steel caught Kagome's eye and the sudden sensation of warmth surrounding her and comforting her like a cocoon filled her mind.

'_Tenseiga…_'

She felt a tingling energy surround her as she watched the sword flip end over end as it circled her, its speed increasing until it became a blur of silver around her.

'_Sesshoumaru is protecting me…_'

Feeling a renewed sense of confidence, Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated on the spinning orb before her. Pressing against her consciousness from the recesses of her mind was a passion that she recognized from the last time she called on the power of the Shikon no Tama. Her heart quivered at the thought of giving in to that feeling once again, but she knew that was what she had to do. Stubbornly pushing aside her unease, Kagome let that familiar feeling surge through her, empowering her.

Focusing her thoughts and emotions on the Shikon no Tama, Kagome forced herself to look inside it as she felt herself become lighter, then the ground seemed to disappear from under her feet. The Tenseiga rose as she did and she felt it pulse in synchronicity with her. The presence of the sword encouraged her and she pushed herself to continue unafraid. Images filled her mind as she continued to focus on the Shikon no Tama, pulling everything trapped within it out.

She felt Midoriko emanating from it, then Kikyou as she had been before Naraku. The people the Shikon no Tama touched filled her mind as she called forth its power. She saw friend and foe alike: Onigumo, Kikyou, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Kohaku, Shippou, Kouga, Kaede and Naraku. Everyone the jewel affected appeared within her mind as she unraveled the Shikon no Tama, desperately trying to purify the jewel and undo what Magatsuhi had done five hundred years before.

• • •

Sesshoumaru and Magatsuhi both paused in their fight long enough to witness Kagome lift from the ground. A mixture of shock and surprise was evident on both their faces as the Tenseiga began to spin around her, creating a shield. It flickered with light in rhythm with the pulses coming from the Shikon no Tama. Sesshoumaru suspected the jewel was pulsing in rhythm with Kagome's heartbeat, uniting the three.

Intellectually, Sesshoumaru did not know exactly what was going on, but he knew without a doubt that the sword was protecting her somehow. His heart immediately felt at ease when he saw the Tenseiga with her, allowing him to concentrate all of his attention onto a raging Magatsuhi.

After recovering from his shock and surprise, the sight of Kagome lifting into the air with the Tenseiga and Shikon no Tama sent Magatsuhi into a fury causing his attacks to gain in strength. Tendrils of miasma, sharp claws and noxious gas came at Sesshoumaru from all sides. He was able to parry and deflect Magatsuhi's attack, but the battle was not going in his favor and he was growing tired.

The Tetsusaiga thrummed passionately in his hand, pulling him into action and Sesshoumaru resisted it as he parried with Magatsuhi once more. As both opponents pulled back to ready themselves for another round, the sword intensified its efforts to gain the youkai lord's attention and the blade began to glow. Sesshoumaru raised the sword before him to examine it with all of his senses.

"What is it you wish of me?" Sesshoumaru asked in a quiet whisper, not really expecting an answer.

A strange sense of knowing washed over the youkai lord as he held the Tetsusaiga before him. Without fully understanding what was going to happen next, Sesshoumaru placed his faith in his father's sword and closed his eyes as Magatsuhi bounded toward him. The sword urged him to stand ready as he waited, and Sesshoumaru concentrated on the sounds and scents around him to maintain his bearings.

The distant sound of Magatsuhi rushing toward him caused his ears to twitch and the hair on the back of his neck and spine began to stand on end. His muscles grew painfully tense as he ground his teeth in wait. He wanted to open his eyes. He wanted to shift into a posture that guaranteed a greater chance of an offensive maneuver. His training told him to rush at Magatsuhi and strike. To wait for an enemy as skilled as he to attack first in such a manner was suicide, but the way the sword hummed enabled him to maintain his waning patience.

Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw tightly as the sound of Magatsuhi's approach grew louder in his ears. He concentrated on the sword, not trusting himself if he focused his attention on Magatsuhi. The vibrating sensation grew more intense within his grip as the once delicate hum of the sword grew louder. The sound was very low in tone, too low for human ears to hear; yet, it was strangely familiar. The more the sound increased in volume, the more certain Sesshoumaru was that he recognized it.

Then it hit him. He'd been so taken with the fact that the sword was reacting as it was that he didn't truly listen to it and he felt like a fool. The sword itself was _growling_.

Sesshoumaru clenched the sword tighter in his fist as he waited for the right moment to strike. He inhaled deeply, gathering the scents around him and smelled his own blood as well as Magatsuhi's. There was also the strong scent of Magatsuhi's youki surrounding him.

The scents seem to swirl all around him and he was certain that the sword was trying to show him where to strike, but the path was still unclear. It wasn't like the scents that guided Sesshoumaru when he wished to use the Kaze no Kizu or the Bakuryuuha. It was still missing something.

Magatsuhi was nearly upon him and still Sesshoumaru could not find his target. He could feel Magatsuhi coming closer, the stench of his miasma and the thundering sound of Magatsuhi's heart flooded his mind.

His heart...!

Sesshoumaru's eyes opened to see Magatsuhi in mid swing. With a speed that had no equal, Sesshoumaru thrust the Tetsusaiga into Magatsuhi, aiming for the source of the sound.

Bright red eyes full of shock looked down at the blade that impaled his chest. Sesshoumaru twisted the sword ninety degrees and then ripped it out of his flesh. Magatsuhi stumbled backward and watched as the miasma spilling out of the gash in his chest began to evaporate into nothingness. He pressed his hand against the wound to stop the flow in vain. Magatsuhi could hardly believe what was happening. Such a wound should not be possible! He forced himself to stand as he reconsidered Sesshoumaru's power.

The youkai lord pulled back from Magatsuhi and prepared to strike him once more but paused when he caught sight of his dead brother in his peripheral vision. He resisted the urge to look upon the figure fully; thinking it was a desperate trick from a dying adversary to distract him from the fight. He focused instead upon Magatsuhi and saw yet another being that should be dead, Naraku, and behind him, Kikyou.

Sesshoumaru let his eyes rove over the land as he saw more beings he recognized appear on the battlefield. Each one appeared as ghosts, though he knew some of the humans and youkai he was looking at were very much alive. He recognized two of the humans as old companions of his brother, a Buddhist priest and youkai huntress, both of whom were alive. Even Shippou was among the phantom group and with him were two older kitsune who Sesshoumaru could only assume were the brat's true parents.

Magatsuhi saw the phantom beings as well and stared in disbelief. All around him stood the ghostly images of the souls that had been touched and tainted by the Shikon no Tama. The desecration of the jewel that cursed the innocent and blessed the proud was being undone. Angry red eyes turned around to glare at the girl responsible and he howled when he saw her.

The Shikon no Tama was no longer a solid thing. She had reduced it down to its most basic and most vulnerable form. Between her hands, she held a ball of energy and within that ball was a tiny speck of blackness that formed the core of the jewel and the anchor that promised Magatsuhi immortality. That blackness was growing smaller.

He watched as Kagome slowly lifted her head to peer at him, her eyes piercing him in their intensity causing Magatsuhi to recoil. He was afraid. She seemed to throb with power and her eyes shone with the knowledge of how she needed to use that power.

Magatsuhi knew at that moment that he would die. The youkai bastard had distracted him and damaged him just enough for Kagome to learn how to unravel the darkness and purify it.

She was pulling him apart, purifying him.


	22. chapter twenty-one :: end of yesterday

**AN:** Yeah, so this was written before it was revealed that the Tenseiga could only resurrect a person once. Just... FYI.

* * *

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
chapter twenty-one : end of yesterday

* * *

The sun was beginning to set. The last few rays of a tired sun were just appearing over the horizon, bathing the earth and clouds in a warm, golden glow. The light gave an illusion of peace to the blissfully unaware, but to Sesshoumaru, the disappearing sun simply meant that darkness would soon be upon them.

He was glad for that.

Somehow, he knew that before the sun dipped below the horizon their struggle against Magatsuhi would be a thing of the past. Kagome was destroying him from the inside out and Sesshoumaru was working on the outside in.

It was an unusual, yet effective strategy. Both working together, but neither aware of how much their actions aided the other. Sesshoumaru could see it now. He could see how his clashes with Magatsuhi allowed Kagome the time she needed to do what she had to do. Sesshoumaru could see how her effort to weaken him was what allowed him to nearly cut Magatsuhi in half and weaken his stamina.

Magatsuhi would soon be dead.

Breathing in the detestable gas of Magatsuhi's miasma was starting to make Sesshoumaru's muscles and bones ache terribly. It was not often that he fell victim to poison and the sensation was as disturbing as it was foreign. His hands tightened their hold on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga as he kept a keen eye locked on Magatsuhi. His cue was coming, the final blow was only seconds away and Sesshoumaru felt himself salivate with anticipation.

Her hands were starting to burn, but Kagome ignored the pain as she focused on Magatsuhi. The energy of the Shikon no Tama flowed over and through her, creating eddies of light as the jewel continued to be broken down into its most basic form.

All around her were the reflections of the souls the Shikon no Tama had touched. Some stood and stared at her with eyes that seemed to comprehend what was happening while others walked about aimlessly, confusion shining in their eyes. She dared not look upon any of them. She had felt their pain pass through her as she unraveled the jewel and had felt her heart break for each; friend and foe alike. Temptation beckoned her to look, but she resisted it with all of her heart. To look at any one of them would most certainly distract her from her task.

For this reason, she resisted looking at Sesshoumaru as well. She trusted him implicitly and she worried for his safety more than she worried for her own. To look at him would distract her as well and she was too close to purifying the center of the Shikon no Tama to stop now.

Her eyes locked with Magatsuhi and she saw his lip pull back from his teeth in a snarl.

"You BITCH!"

Kagome closed her eyes and focused all of her being into that last remaining vacuum of darkness the instant Magatsuhi began to charge at her. She knew what she had to do. She had to use all of her self to purify the most evil and vile part of the Shikon no Tama, the part that sustained Magatsuhi. If she could nullify the core, Sesshoumaru will be able to destroy him once and for all and the cycle that began with the Shikon no Tama's birth would end with its destruction.

The world around her felt slow and tedious as her consciousness became centered on the black spot. She felt hundreds of years of pain, greed and lust surge through her the more she forced herself into that void. It resisted her, preferring the comfort of dark nothingness to the light of purification. With a stubborn jolt, Kagome poured her self into that void, praying that her heart would be able to fill it.

Then without warning, it stopped trying to resist her and started to pull her in.

• • •

The youkai lord leapt forward the instant Magatsuhi moved toward Kagome. The Tetsusaiga hummed loudly as Sesshoumaru moved, his speed bringing him just inches from his prey.

The stench of Magatsuhi's youki was all around him, clashing and swirling with his own and mixing with the scent of miasma. The chaos of the clashing scents blinded his olfactory nerves and forced him to rely on sound alone. He waited for the thudding of Magatsuhi's heartbeat to direct him to the path the sword should take when the fog of miasma thickened around him.

His nose and eyes burned from the toxicity and his concentration was shortly broken. Sesshoumaru blinked several times, trying to clear his vision when he saw Magatsuhi launch himself at Kagome. Tendrils of miasma and parts of Magatsuhi's own flesh and innards rocketed towards her forming grotesque spikes and lances. The projectiles were accurate in their aim but most were deflected by the Tenseiga. Still, Magatsuhi did not give up as he continued in his attempt to destroy her with him.

Sesshoumaru could no longer keep his eyes open from the burning of the miasma and his sense of smell was still of no use, but he could clearly hear the strangely erratic rhythms of Magatsuhi's heart. It beat wildly in his chest, sometimes skipping several beats only to make up for those missed contractions by thumping furiously seconds later.

Then Sesshoumaru heard the low sound of Magatsuhi's throaty growl and a picture formed in his mind. From heart to head, he would cut him and sever the beast in half from the torso up. Sesshoumaru struck and was rewarded with the feel of flesh being torn by his blade. The sounds immediately stopped and Sesshoumaru heard the wet thud of a wounded body hitting the earth. Forcing his eyes open, he saw the body of Magatsuhi in two pieces and felt a spark of satisfaction come to life inside of him.

The forest grew quiet as the sun dipped ever lower into the horizon. The whirling of the Tenseiga as it rotated around Kagome several feet away was the only sound to be heard. Sesshoumaru focused on Kagome and the remains of the jewel between her palms as he tried to blink away the sting from the miasma. Beads of sweat lined her brow and her face shone with concentration. The bloodstains on her kimono were much larger than they were before and Sesshoumaru knew that she was still bleeding. He sniffed the air out of habit, momentarily forgetting the overwhelming stench of miasma instead and nearly vomited from the putrid scent as a result.

He resisted the urge to approach her. The fact that she was still concentrating on the Shikon no Tama was all Sesshoumaru needed to keep a close eye on Magatsuhi's corpse. He knew the two were linked. Sesshoumaru half expected the Shikon no Tama to be gone by now, but it stubbornly remained. It was much smaller than before and still dark in color. The light coming from Kagome surrounded it and appeared to be trying to choke it out of existence. The youkai lord glanced down at Magatsuhi and back at Kagome again, wondering if there was something else he should do.

Magatsuhi was in two pieces. Sesshoumaru sliced him from his chest up to his right ear. There was no movement coming from the corpse, no indication whatsoever that it was still alive. He poked at it once just to be certain, stabbing at Magatsuhi's face and creating another mortal wound.

It was dead. What else was he supposed to do to the thing?

Kagome's face twitched slightly and the light surrounding the jewel core blinked, causing Sesshoumaru's muscles to grow tense. He waited, his eyes watching the remains of the jewel intently. The light grew dim for a split second and Kagome fought back, causing the light coming from her hands to grow increasingly brighter until Sesshoumaru was forced to squint.

Then a fumbling beat caught Sesshoumaru's ear and he looked down at his prey in alarm. Small tendrils of miasma were trying to pull Magatsuhi back together. Worse, his heart had started beating again.

Magatsuhi was trying to heal himself.

'Stubborn bastard.'

Aggravation coursed through his veins, unconsciously causing poison to ooze freely from his hands. He didn't even notice the poison drip from his hands as he pointed the blade downward and let it hover just above Magatsuhi's reviving heart. He concentrated on his desire to destroy Magatsuhi once and for all and felt the sword begin to pulse in response to his will.

It was then that he noticed the green fluid gathered around the hilt of the sword and slowly flowing down the blade. He watched in curiosity as it dripped from the tip of the blade and into Magatsuhi's exposed chest cavity, then smiled when he heard the sound of his poison sizzling upon contact.

The beast was finally injured enough that Sesshoumaru's poison could dissolve him. Satisfied that the blade was thoroughly coated, Sesshoumaru stabbed the Tetsusaiga into Magatsuhi's chest, piecing his heart and dissolving his flesh.

Magatsuhi made a pained sound like a dying animal as his limbs started to convulse, splashing miasma on the youkai lord's face and chest. Sesshoumaru growled low in his throat and let the poison flow more freely from his hands, his ears perking as the sounds Magatsuhi made became more desperate and pathetic. Soon Sesshoumaru's grimace gave way to a slight smile as Magatsuhi's entire rib cage was dissolved and the sounds of agony faded into a whimper.

Then there was no sound at all. Only the unearthly glow coming from the girl remained.

Sesshoumaru took a deep, cleansing breath and allowed his aching muscles to finally relax. The rest was up to her and it seemed that she was almost done.

With a sudden jolt, the Tenseiga embedded into the ground at his feet and the glow that had surrounded her began to fade. Sesshoumaru realized immediately that she was beginning to fall and he moved forward to catch her, dropping the sword in the process. He caught her clumsily. Legs weak and tired from battle, he nearly fell but managed to correct his balence just in time.

Cradleing her prone form to his chest and kneeled to the ground to better assess her injuries. The air was much too thick with the stench of miasma but he was still able to detect her blood scent when he lowered his face to her flesh. He lifted her arms, turned her on her side and pulled back part of her kimono in order to locate all of her injuries, none of which appeared to be serious. Pushing her hair out of her face and cupping her cheek in his hands, he whispered her name.

He frowned at her unresponsiveness and repeated her name once more, this time with more forcefulness in his voice. Again, she did not respond and Sesshoumaru felt a distint sense of worry.

Hadn't she always said, 'If I survive?' Was she dying? There was no physical reason for her to be unconscious. Her wounds were minor and her blood loss fairly minimal, yet she remained unresponsive.

The Tenseiga lay beside Kagome and Sesshoumaru reached for it, intent on using it to revive her as he did when Magatsuhi poisoned her. He gently laid her down on the ground and stood over her, concentrating on his desire to heal her. Because she was still alive, there were no tsukai to destroy. He simply wanted the Tenseiga to restore her as it did once before. He made one quick swipe with the sword and slashed her. He expected to see the energy of its healing power emanate from her wounds and her eyes to flutter open as consciousness returned to her. He waited and saw no sign of the Tenseiga's effectiveness upon her, and so he slashed her again.

And again.

There was no miraculous healing, no sudden arousal to consciousness. She continued to lie on the ground exactly where he had left her, unmoving and deathly quiet. Her chest rose and fell with every breath, but there was no other sign of life coming from her other than her shallow breathing. Her scent didn't even whisper of death and he cursed the sword for its inability to heal her.

Frustrated, Sesshoumaru sheathed the Tenseiga and searched the area for the Tetsusaiga's scabbard. When both swords were secured to his hip, he gathered Kagome into his arms and began to make his way out of the forest, only to pause when he caught the scent of Jaken's corpse in the shifting breeze.

Altering his course, Sesshoumaru stood over Jaken and frowned as he stared at the gaping hole in the side of his neck. Hoisting Kagome up and over his shoulder, he unsheathed the Tenseiga and let his eyes wander over the blade.

Perhaps it was the sword.

Sesshoumaru concentrated on what he wanted to do and felt the sword respond, something it had not done when he tried to revive Kagome. Then he saw a single tsukai lingering near the corpse. With a sudden swipe, he severed the tsukai in half and observed the familiar glow of the blade as Jaken's body began to heal.

A sense of foreboding weighed down on Sesshoumaru as he sheathed the sword and cradled Kagome more comfortably in his arms. Tenseiga was as powerful as it had always been. Kagome herself resisted its healing.


	23. chapter twenty-two :: dawn, part two

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
chapter twenty-two : dawn, part two

* * *

"How is she?"

Sesshoumaru shifted in his seat and sighed tiredly as he peered down at the kitsune pup. The boy returned the gaze with an expectant look.

"She is the same."

Shippou said nothing as he sat down next to Kagome and regarded her intently. She appeared peaceful in her slumber, just as she had for days. Her lack of improvement was disturbing to everyone, most of all to Shippou and Sesshoumaru.

"Konnichiwa, Kagome," Shippou whispered as he wrapped his hand around hers and gave her a fond, yet gentle, squeeze.

Silence descended upon the room immediately after Shippou spoke. The kitsune cub snuggled up next to her, wedging his upper body between her arm and body and sighed. The anxious stress that accompanied worry was exhausting, though the youkai pair still maintained their vigil. Each sat in a companionable silence as they observed Kagome for some change or shred of hope that she would get better and soon awaken.

If she ever would awaken.

She had been unconscious for almost a week and Sesshoumaru rarely left her side. Unbeknownst to everyone else, he often slept next to her when his own exhaustion overwhelmed him. Usually he lay next to her during the quietest hours of the night, not always because he needed the rest, but because he simply wanted to be close to her. His sense of protectiveness toward Kagome was a natural thing to him. Her health and welfare was important, he never spent much time pondering why until recently. His mind had been far too distracted with questions as to why the woman had yet to awaken than it was concerned about his behavior and unrealized need to be near her.

Kagome's wounds were all superficial, save for the large gash in her thigh. It required some stitching and extra attention to make sure it healed right, but he removed them two days ago. Her body was fine. She smelled healthy. Shippou even commented that her scent was more normal now than it had been since Inuyasha died.

Sesshoumaru pursed his lips together as a familiar question repeated itself in his mind: why was she still unconscious?

The kitsune yawned and settled down more comfortably against the woman in question, cuddling up to her and resting his head on her chest. Sesshoumaru did his best not to let his annoyance show, but he knew Shippou caught sight of his irked gaze just before closing his eyes and sighing loudly and contently.

Sesshoumaru almost smirked at the pup's reaction to his ire. The boy had grown on him over the past few days and the pair had come to a strange understanding. Shippou knew Sesshoumaru did not care much for him acting so clingy with Kagome, but the kitsune did it anyway, more out of a mischievous spite than anything. Sesshoumaru put up with it most of the time, knowing that Kagome and the pup had a close bond similar to that of mother and child. It still bothered him though, on a purely instinctual level, to have another youkai acting so familiar with her. The mingling of their scents just felt wrong to him.

It was during a moment earlier in the week, similar to the one that Sesshoumaru was currently observing, that opened the youkai lord's eyes to a truth he had been denying. An offhanded comment by Shippou finally forced Sesshoumaru to make peace with what he had actively denied and subconsciously feared he had been feeling all along.

He could not explain logically why the epiphany was as shocking to him as it was. There was really no reason why it should be. After all, he recalled thinking more than once during his battle with Magatsuhi that Kagome belonged to him. Although he had had those thoughts during battle, he later dismissed them as being a fleeting, "heat-of-the-moment" type of reaction.

However, it was not. Kagome did belong to him. That was it. Somewhere, somehow during the time she spent with him since the day they set foot on his domain, he had bonded with her.

Moreover, Shippou had suspected it all along.

Two nights following the fight with Magatsuhi, when everyone felt certain that Kagome would soon awaken, Shippou made the mistake of doing what he had always done when sleepiness came upon him. He made himself comfortable next to her, cuddled up to Kagome's chest and closed his eyes. Fury swept through Sesshoumaru at the sight of another youkai being so intimate with Kagome and he started to growl at Shippou. Sesshoumaru did not even pause to think about why he was growling, he just knew he wanted Shippou to stop and if he didn't, there would be hell to pay.

Shippou recognized the growl immediately and sat up to peer at Sesshoumaru with sleepy eyes. He scooted away from Kagome just far enough to calm Sesshoumaru's frayed nerves before saying, "What are you growling at me for? I'm not trying to bond with her or anything. I'm just tired!"

Sesshoumaru nearly lost control of himself when he heard the word "bond." Instinct told him to kill the annoying brat, but at the last minute, he held back and flung Shippou away from Kagome with one solid smack of his hand. The youkai lord sent the boy flying with a shocked 'eep' and he slammed into the nearest wall with a hard thud, knocking the child temporarily unconscious.

It took the rest of the night for Sesshoumaru to calm down so as not to be a threat to anyone, let alone to even begin to think rationally. The thought of him bonding to a human was insulting to say the least. Every time he started to think about what Shippou had said the same rage would spark up once more. It took days for Sesshoumaru to calm down enough to explore what he felt and he was disgusted with himself to realize that the child was right.

He had bonded with the human woman.

• • •

She was first aware of a gentle, yet persistent scraping sound that pulled her from her sleep. She moaned quietly and rolled onto her side as she tried to ignore the scraping that insisted upon being heard. The noise disappeared for a while and she relaxed once more, only to reawaken when she heard a low howl that preceded more scraping.

"Uhhh…" Kagome pouted tiredly when she realized that she would not be able to ignore the sound until she knew what was causing it and then figured out how to end it.

Grogginess clung to her, refusing to let go of her mind even as she blinked open her eyes to locate the source of the noise that had roused her from her sleep. Turning her head, Kagome focused on the only window in the room and saw a distant flash of light and she knew at once what the scraping was.

A storm was coming and the wind was causing the tree branches outside to scrape against her window.

Satisfied, Kagome snuggled down in her bedding and let the cozy darkness surround her once more. She did not pause to think about what it was that made the darkness so strangely comforting, she simply relished in the sensation and paid no mind to both the foreign and familiar feel of it. A sigh of contentment escaped her lips as she turned toward the source of her comfort and snuggled against it, only dimly aware of the rhythmic thumps against her cheek that lulled her back to sleep.

Sesshoumaru knew, and he waited for her to fall asleep once more before moving his free hand to gently caress her hair and back. Tonight was the first time she had awoken and relief filled him. Her sudden wakefulness made him want to talk to her, force her to eat, explain to him why she had been unconscious for so long. He resisted those urgings simply because he did not want her to realize that he was in bed beside her and had been sharing the same bed with her for over a week.

He had accepted the fact that he had bonded to her, but he was not ready for her to know about it. He was not even certain that he wanted her to ever know about it. Everything was happening so quickly and the situation had changed so dramatically that he felt completely out of his element. He was used to leading and being in control, not the other way around.

A bright flash of light reminded him that time was short. With a storm well on its way, he would have to separate himself from beside her before the storm officially arrived and awoke her once more. He did not want her to notice what he was not yet willing to share.

Sesshoumaru's body felt unusually cold as he padded back toward his quarters and crawled into bed.

"You are finally awake," Sesshoumaru said with a slight smirk as Kagome's head suddenly turned to look at him in surprise. "We were beginning to worry."

Kagome blushed as she pulled her katabira tighter around her and peered at Sesshoumaru sheepishly. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Sesshoumaru."

"Ohayou."

"I'm still a little groggy," she said with a nervous smile as she motioned at her early morning attire, "I must not have heard you knock, otherwise I would have gotten dressed."

"I did not knock. I heard you moving around and entered without your permission."

Kagome felt her cheeks begin to flush in anger at Sesshoumaru's admission and she glared at him, but the matter-of-fact way he admitted to the deed threw her off balance. She wanted to yell at him and tell him off, but all she could utter was a confused, "Oh."

"How are you feeling?" he asked, wanting to distract her from his sudden appearance in her room.

"I feel okay, just tired. I didn't sleep very well last night."

"Did the storm wake you?"

"Yes. But I was also cold. I just can't get warm for some reason," she blushed and peered down at her bedding. "I can't sleep when I'm cold."

Sesshoumaru pressed his lips together as he tried to ignore the implications of her last comment. "I'll have Jaken bring you more blankets. Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

Sesshoumaru nodded, "When you get dressed you can join Rin and Shippou for breakfast. They will be happy to see you up."

At the mention of Shippou, Kagome glanced about the room seeking the kitsune out. "Where is Shippou?"

"I provided him with his own room to sleep in," Sesshoumaru stepped toward Kagome and examined her curiously, wondering if she had any idea of how long she had been unconscious. "What day do you think it is today?"

Kagome's eyebrows furled together, "What?"

"What day is it today?"

"Is this a trick question?" Kagome asked skeptically. "It's… Tuesday, isn't it?"

"No."

Kagome frowned at him, convinced that he was playing with her somehow. "Well then what day is it?"

"Friday. You have been unconscious for over a week."

Kagome's mouth gapped open, "What?! How— I don't…"

"What is the last thing you remember?" Sesshoumaru asked as Kagome sank down on top of her futon.

She put her hands to her face and leaned forward, her eyes growing distant as she concentrated. Several moments clicked by and she finally turned to Sesshoumaru, "It's like the last time," she whispered, "when I killed…" Her voice trailed off as her throat tightened with emotion, "I didn't kill anyone… did I?"

Sesshoumaru knelt down in front of her, "No." He tilted his head as he studied her, noting the tears that were gathering in her eyes. "You did nothing you were not meant to do. What do you remember, Kagome?"

She took a deep, shaky breath, obviously relieved. "Magatsuhi… I remember Magatsuhi and Shippou and Rin… I remember Magatsuhi coming and sending them away," Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, forcing some of her unshed tears to fall. "I remember being cut. I can remember seeing Inuyasha and my father. I can remember seeing you, too… but it was wrong. It wasn't you. It was all wrong."

Kagome modestly put her right hand inside of her katabira and moved her hand over her left side, searching for the familiar lump that market the location of the Shikon no Tama. Her face went pale when she felt the unblemished skin under her fingertips and knew that the jewel was missing. Tear-bright eyes opened to look upon Sesshoumaru pleadingly, "It's all mixed up in my head… but Magatsuhi is dead, isn't he? The Shikon no Tama is gone and you killed him, right?"

"Hai, we both did." Sesshoumaru stood and pulled Kagome up with him, his hands never leaving her shoulders even after they were both standing. "Go bathe and get dressed. I will send Rin to help you if you need it. We will talk again after you eat."

Kagome's breath caught in her throat when Sesshoumaru smiled at her in a reassuring manner, the expression reflecting in his eyes.

"Do not let this trouble you, Kagome. I will tell you what happened if you are unable to remember everything for yourself."

• • •

Kagome watched the sun set as she sat in front of her window, contemplating the events of the past few weeks. Her memory was still shoddy, leaving gaps in various places, but she remembered most of the events that led to Magatsuhi's death. Anything she was uncertain about, Sesshoumaru made clear to her and usually his narrations jogged her memory enough so that she recalled most of the events on her own.

Sesshoumaru's presence was something Kagome found that she craved more and more each day. She missed him when he was gone. Since the day when she first awoke, she spent the majority of her time sticking close to the youkai lord, his presence a comfort to her confusion. Kagome had expected him to react coldly to her, to tell her to go away because she was a nuisance, but instead he seemed to welcome her.

At the time, it felt perfectly natural, but in retrospect, she could see the strangeness of it.

When Kagome was alone, she found that her thoughts were often of Sesshoumaru and home. She puzzled over her feelings toward the youkai lord and her need to see her family again. That too, invoked a curious response from her heart. She felt compelled to return home. She wanted to see her family again, but what held her back and kept her up at night was the even stronger desire to stay with Sesshoumaru.

She'd chastised herself repeatedly for her foolishness. After all, why would she want to stay with Sesshoumaru? Was he her friend? Could it be that the feelings she was developing for him was something more than gratitude and platonic fondness? It wasn't possible that it could be anything deeper than that, right? Besides, would he welcome her desire to stay with him and live in his home? That was doubtful. This was Sesshoumaru after all. He had already been more than the hospitable host and gentleman… but to stay with him? The idea was ludicrous!

"Kagome?" A childish voice asked from well behind the young woman staring at the waxing dusk.

She smiled and turned her head toward the cub, "Yes, Shippou?"

The boy sat cross-legged beside Kagome, "You've been in your room for so long, I decided to check on you."

"You were worried about me?"

"Well… yeah."

Kagome's smile grew wider as she patted the boy on the head. "I'm fine. I've just been doing some thinking."

"What about?"

She sighed and looked out the window once more. "Home, mostly," she said, not ready to admit that Sesshoumaru filled her thoughts far more than the idea of going home.

"Oh," Shippou looked down at the floor and pretended to be more interested in watching his hind paws as he idly wiggled his toes. Kagome noticed his fidgeting and stroked his head.

"I miss my family, Shippou. I miss my mom and grandpa and little brother. It's been so long since I last saw them," she smiled bitterly, "they probably think the reason I haven't come home is because I'm dead or something."

"Does this mean you're going to go home now?" Shippou swallowed hard and kept his eyes to the floor as he spoke, "For good?"

Kagome glanced down at the kitsune cub and saw the downcast look in his eyes. She reached out and pulled him close, giving him a gentle embrace. "Shippou, if I tell you something you have to promise not to tell anyone. Okay?"

The boy looked up at Kagome wide-eyed and sincere as he nodded silently.

"The truth is, Shippou, I've been sitting here thinking about going home and missing my family... but I'm afraid to leave."

"Huh? Why?"

"I don't know… it's… well—" Kagome frowned as she searched for the right words, "I guess... I guess I'm afraid that if I go through the well, I won't be able to come back. I mean... I want to come back _here._" Kagome blushed and smiled down at Shippou nervously, "I don't think I'm making much sense."

"But you want to see your family again, right?"

"Of course! They're my family. I don't want them to be left wondering if I'm okay or not, you know? But I think I would be more homesick over there, than here..." Kagome trailed off and looked out into the darkness of the newborn night once more, "In fact, I know I would."

The pair sat in silence for several moments before Shippou finally turned his face up to look Kagome in the eyes, "Miroku tried to force you through the well once. After Inuyasha died."

The young woman raised her eyebrows at Shippou, "He did?"

"He picked you up and carried you all the way to the well and then dropped you."

"I don't remember that," Kagome said softly.

"I remember." The boy bit a trembling lip and clenched his small fists as he fought for control over his emotion. His battle did not go unnoticed and Kagome laid her hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze.

"Shippou?"

The kitsune turned his damp eyes to look at Kagome shamefully, "And I was glad. I really was. They were going to seal it and I would never see you again. I couldn't stop them so when you came out I was glad that it wouldn't take you. I was _happy._"

"Shippou—"

"I'm sorry!"

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for."

"Yes, there is! I was glad, Kagome. I wanted you to stay, even if you were miserable here. I thought I could help you to get better, I thought—"

The kitsune pup was cut off as Kagome pulled him into a warm embrace and refused to let him go even when he protested. Realizing that he was trapped in her hug, Shippou let go of the emotions he'd been trying so hard to keep a bay and wept in her arms. As the tears began to dry and the boy calmed, Kagome leaned her face down toward him and kissed the top of his head. He sniffled and looked up at her, an embarrassed look reflecting in his eyes.

"Shippou, I forgive you."

"Kagome—"

"I understand why you were glad, Shippou," Kagome said quickly, "and it's alright."

Shippou took a deep, calming breath. "But you still want to go home, don't you?"

Kagome frowned, not exactly certain how to explain her motivations to him without causing him more hurt. She understood his fear of being alone and understood the sense of abandonment that filled his heart.

"Shippou," Kagome began delicately, hoping her illustration would finally make him understand why she had to go home, "if you were in my place… if your family expected you home by the end of the week and almost two years later you're still missing and they don't know if you're alive or dead, wouldn't you try to go home?"

The boy paused for a moment, considering. Then finally, a nod.

"That's why I have to try, Shippou."

"So," the kitsune drawled slowly, "you're not going because you want to go back, you're going because you feel obligated to because of your family?"

Kagome pressed her lips together as she thought over Shippou's question. Her heart blurted out the answer instantly, but her intellect kept her mouth from verbalizing it. Could it be that the only reason she felt so compelled to return home was out of obligation? Not homesickness, but simple personal responsibility?

'_Yes!_' her heart blurted out, '_This is your home. Here with Sesshoumaru!_'


	24. chapter twenty-three :: hereafter

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.**  
chapter twenty-three : hereafter

* * *

She sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying fruitlessly to calm her nerves and settle her stomach. Kagome had been trying to figure out what she was going to say to Sesshoumaru for days now and still she was not quite sure _how_ to say what she wanted to say.

She stood in the hall just outside of Sesshoumaru's library queasy with unease. She didn't want to tell him that she needed to return home, and more importantly, she didn't want leave him. Since their battle together with Akuma, she felt much closer to him. He had been so surprisingly kind to her. He had saved her life and cared for her even while he was terribly injured himself. The thought of never seeing him again made her feel nauseous, but she owed it to her family to return home.

It was rather foolish, really. Sesshoumaru was the youkai Lord over all of the Western Lands. He had been her enemy once… and now she feared what her heart felt for him.

_'Am I really that finicky?' _She asked herself as she stared down at her hands._ 'To love Inuyasha so much and over a year after his death I think I might be falling in love with his brother?'_

Tears stung at her eyes and she bit her lip as she fought against them. Part of her still loved Inuyasha and always would. Part of her felt loyal to him. Giving Inuyasha's most prized possession to his greatest rival was bad enough, but to fall in love with him as well? It just wasn't right. Inuyasha would never forgive her.

Setting her jaw and taking a deep, cleansing breath Kagome looked up at the door and prepared herself. Leaving Sesshoumaru would be for the best, for both of them.

She lifted her hand and rapped on the door. "Sesshoumaru?" she called quietly as she slid the door open to reveal him sitting on a zabuton, his amber eyes observing her expectantly.

"I was beginning to wonder how long it would take you to enter."

Kagome blushed and mentally berated herself for hesitating so long outside the door. He must have smelled her long before she knocked. "Sorry about that," she said sheepishly as she stepped further into the room and kneeled in front of him, smoothing out her kimono as she sat.

He said nothing for a long moment as he eyed her and she felt caught in his gaze. His scrutinies made her feel all the more nervous so she forced herself to look away. He caught her fidgeting with the side of her obi and tilted his head at her, "What is on your mind, Kagome?"

"I…" She trailed off when the butterflies in her stomach roared to life. "Ah, thank you for everything, Sesshoumaru. Thank you for taking care of me… and Shippou through all this."

"You have already thanked me."

"I just—"

"I can smell your nervousness," Sesshoumaru said very matter-of-factly.

Kagome's voice cracked, "You can?"

"Why are you behaving this way? It is annoying."

Kagome gaped at him, "What?!"

A slight smirk graced Sesshoumaru's lips and Kagome pressed her lips tightly together when she caught sight of it. "You can be annoying sometimes, too, you know."

"There is a difference," he stated dryly. "I do it intentionally."

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "You do it well."

A smile filtered across Sesshoumaru's lips and he offered her a slight, mocking bow. "Thank you."

Silence returned between them causing Sesshoumaru to sigh impatiently. "Tell me what it is you wish to tell me or go away. This nervous scent you are giving off is really very bothersome."

Kagome took a deep breath, "I need to go home."

Sesshoumaru sat quietly in introspective silence for several seconds as he let the weight of Kagome's words sink in. The thought of her leaving for good disturbed him and he quickly suppressed the queasiness in his stomach as he studied her. The look in her eyes seemed to be pleading with him and his heart sank just a little at the strange sadness he saw there.

"I haven't seen my family in over a year and they're probably worried sick about me," Kagome said in a rush. "They probably think I'm dead."

"You _need_ to go home? To that well?"

"Yes, the well. My home is actually _beyond_ the well."

"Ah."

"Miroku tried to send me home through the well after Inuyasha died, but it wouldn't take me." Kagome sighed, "I don't know if the well will take me now, but I have to try."

"You miss your home?" Sesshoumaru asked as he studied her eyes again, seeing her sadness spark once more.

"Well, yeah I miss them. What really bothers me is the thought of them being so worried about me. I hate to think that they may think I'm dead or something. My father's death was really hard on my mom, I hate to think of her going through that again, but I don't _really_ want to leave..." Kagome trailed off as she caught herself saying too much and blushed once she saw the way Sesshoumaru was watching her.

"Kagome, you are welcome to stay here with me."

Her cheeks grew even more flushed as her heart swelled with warmth. She had secretly hoped he would say something like that, but she never believed it would actually happen.

"Th-thank you, Sesshoumaru," she said in a quiet voice as she dared not look at him lest she lose her resolve completely, "but I have to _try_ to go home. I don't know if I can get through the well, but I owe it to my family to try."

Sesshoumaru nodded, "Very well. I will accompany you to the well. If you are unable to go through, you are welcome to return here with me and Rin."

Kagome smiled broadly, feeling relieved and more than a little touched by his offer as she bowed before him. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru."

• • •

No one said a word or even uttered a sound as they passed by Inuyasha's grave. Not even Rin, who had been uncharacteristically reserved during the entire journey from Sesshoumaru's domain. Kagome gazed at the site as they walked past, memories of her time there where she existed in misery filled her mind in scattered pieces and she winced. She never once apologized to Shippou for what she inadvertently put him through and her heart ached at the thought of the pain she knew she had caused him.

Now as the four of them stood around the Bone Eater's Well, Kagome hesitated. Since the moment she stepped foot outside of Sesshoumaru's home, her heart felt troubled and conflicted. Her mind told her the best thing to do was to leave. This was not her time nor home. Her family missed her and needed her and she knew from the beginning that her time in the Feudal Period was only temporary.

So, what was causing the conflict?

Sesshoumaru.

He was the reason she wanted to stay. He was what made going home so frightening. The last time she felt a sense of dread so profound fill her was when Inuyasha sealed the well. Her heart had been consumed with thoughts of Inuyasha and emotions as broad as anger, worry and disappointment filled her every waking moment.

The feelings she felt now were similar to that, yet different. With Sesshoumaru, everything was different. If she backed out now, what would she say? She knew Sesshoumaru had offered his home to her, but she felt foolish coming all this way only to back out at the last second. Besides, she didn't think she would be able to live with herself if she didn't at least _try_ to go home. Her longing to see her family was as tangible as her fear of never seeing Sesshoumaru again.

"Kagome-oneesan! Can't we go with you?"

Kagome offered a comforting smile to Rin as she knelt down in front of her. "I don't think you can, Rin. The well has only worked for myself and Inuyasha."

"Promise Rin you will come back!"

Kagome pulled Rin into a tight hug, "I want to come back more than anything. I still need to help you practice your kanji and mathematics!"

The girl pouted at the mention of her least favorite lesson that Kagome insisted upon teaching her, "Rin doesn't like mathematics."

"Hmm... well, then I guess we'll have to stick to practicing your kanji."

Rin nodded and hugged Kagome once more. "Be a good girl, Rin," Kagome whispered before turning toward Shippou who hugged her quickly and fiercely.

"Don't go."

"Shippou, I—"

"Kagome, you know you want to stay so just stay!"

"Shippou, we talked about this."

"I... I know. I'm sorry."

Kagome pushed Shippou away from her so she could look him in the eyes. "I promise I will come back if I can," she said, her voice beginning to crack, "Please don't make this more difficult than it already is."

The older girl lost her battle against her own tears when she saw Shippou's lower lip tremble and she embraced him once more. "I'm sorry for causing you so much worry, Shippou. You took care of me after Inuyasha died and I have always appreciated that. I love you."

"I love you, too, Kagome," Shippou whispered as he pulled away from her, wiping the tears from his eyes and trying to regain his composure.

Kagome stood and quickly dusted off her kimono as she turned to face Sesshoumaru. The two locked eyes for several moments, neither willing to be the first to speak. Kagome felt her resolve quickly draining away as she looked at him and knew she had to act before the moment slipped by. Gathering her courage, Kagome stepped forward and embraced a slightly startled Sesshoumaru.

She smiled against him when she felt his arms encircle her and his face dip down to smell the top of her head. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru, for everything."

"Ah, thank you."

Kagome pulled herself away from him, her cheeks flushed and stained with tears. She sat down on the side of the well and swung her legs over, then turned her face toward the people she had come to love and smiled. "Goodb— no, see you later!"

Then she pushed herself into the well and braced herself to hit the bottom as she closed her eyes. With a solid thud, she landed and fell hard on her backside.

"You are still here."

Kagome's eyes flew open and her head turned up toward the sound of Sesshoumaru's voice and Shippou's joyful laughter.

"Or, does it take a while to work?"

Kagome smiled, feeling a strange mix of emotions move through her, the primary ones leaving her feeling relieved and glad. "No… I guess it _really_ won't take me anymore."

Sesshoumaru snorted and his lips twitched up into a slight smile as he stood on the lip of the well, preparing to jump in to retrieve her. "Well, you should come out of there. You look foolish sitting at the bottom of a well in a kimono."


	25. epilogue :: all of my tomorrows

**.:All of My Tomorrows:.  
**epilogue : all of my tomorrows

* * *

The rain pelted the ground and threw specks of mud and grime onto her kimono and tabi, coating them. The grave was exactly as she remembered it, save for the widening of the tree as it grew next to it. Not one stone had been moved and Kagome silently suspected that one of the villagers, most likely Kaede, regularly maintained the grave.

She knelt in front of the grave carefully, mindful of the slippery mud and her delicate condition. The rain streamed off the top of her umbrella as she leaned slightly forward, splashing even more mud onto her, but she didn't mind. Her thoughts were too full of bittersweet memories of days long past to care about such trivial things.

Kagome reached into the folds of her haori and pulled out a neatly folded piece of parchment sealed with wax. She placed the letter on her lap and bit her lip. She spent most of the night writing that letter and now as she knelt in front of Inuyasha's grave it felt horribly inadequate. Still, her husband was waiting and she didn't want to press his patience too far.

Her husband told her that the only way she would be able to purge herself of her lingering feelings of grief and guilt was to simply ask for forgiveness, even though he made it quite clear that he felt such an act was totally unnecessary. Kagome knew he was right. She had to make amends with Inuyasha, even if her efforts were impossible for him to receive. It was the only way she knew to let go of the past completely. Knowing that, she could not help but to feel foolish asking for forgiveness for something she knew in her heart had to happen.

It was destiny, pure and simple. How do you ask forgiveness for something that was destined to happen? There was no denying fate. She had experienced far too much in her lifetime to deny providence. Even so, the same questions haunted her: why couldn't she simply let her grief and guilt go? Why does that small piece of her heart cling to the past to fervently?

She could only assume that the reason she held onto the past so tightly was due to the fact the past was as much her present as the present was her present. Midoriko was of the past, but had existed within her in the present. A small part of Kikyou had also existed within her and she, too, was of the past. Kagome lived in a time that she perceived as the past, though everyone she loved saw it as the present. What they saw as the future was the present in her mind. Time had somehow lost its depth and power to completely numb the pain. The events of the past still felt as powerful today as they had the moment they occurred.

"Inuyasha," she said finally, her voice a low whisper barely heard over the sound of the rain. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" She smiled a bit, the expression revealing some of her pain before she continued. "I've been thinking of you a lot lately… especially after I found out I was pregnant."

Kagome paused as she rubbed her slightly swollen belly unconsciously. "You're going to be an uncle," her smile widened a bit as she pulled her haori tighter around her. The air felt crisp and clean, but the rain caused goose bumps to rise on her flesh, "but I didn't come here to tell you that."

She felt foolish, talking to herself while she kneeled in front of an alter of smooth stones, but she needed to say her peace. With a deep breath, she began again. "I… I wrote you a letter," she admitted somewhat sheepishly. "I don't know if you can hear me or if you even care anymore… but _I_ care. I was going to just leave it here… with you, but I think I should read it to you because I won't…" she trailed off as her throat tightened, "I won't be coming back _here_ anymore."

Kagome broke the wax seal, unfolded the parchment with her free hand, and smoothed the letter on her lap in one long, exaggerated motion as she regained her composure. "I know its kind of cliché, but writing helps me to sort out my thoughts, you know?" She shifted her weight as she lifted the letter and cleared her throat.

"Dear Inuyasha,

"Today marks five years since the day I first met you.

"I have been thinking of you a lot lately and have wanted to express myself to you, but I didn't know where to begin. Even now, I can't think of how to say what I want to say so please forgive me if I don't make much sense."

Kagome smirked at the marker of stones who stared coldly back at her. "That was kind of a dumb thing to say, wasn't it?" she asked self-mockingly with a wide grin, "Let me remind you, Inuyasha, that I was up pretty late last night writing this."

Her smiled faltered after a moment and she cleared her throat once more before holding the letter up again, "I have felt full of guilt since the day you passed on. I think of you everyday and feel grief and remorse over you because of your death. I realize now that what happened _had_ to happen, but knowing that in my head is a lot different than knowing that in my heart. After all, it is because of me that you are dead. That knowledge fills me with guilt, but I am also ashamed because of my own cowardice while you were alive.

"I was always afraid to tell you my feelings because I was afraid of rejection. I knew Kikyou was first in your heart, but I was always afraid to hear you say it. I was afraid to learn that you only saw me as Kikyou's replacement, or that you thought of me only as a friend and 'shard detector.'"

Kagome paused, feeling suddenly uncertain if she should read the next sentence aloud. She knew her husband was nearby and listening. He'd been gracious enough to take her here upon her insistence, rain or shine, and she didn't want to hurt him… but this was something she had to get off her chest, too. She stole a deep breath and plunged forward, "The truth is, Inuyasha, I loved you and I miss you… and I will _always_ mourn for you."

The rest of the letter came out in a rush, "I wanted to die when Sango told me about your death and my role in it. I never left your side after they buried you. I could not bring myself to leave you. I think I will always feel guilt over what happened and sincerely, I am sorry. Nothing I can say or do will ever make up for what happened. I can only pray that you are at peace now, you and Kikyou both.

"Shippou is growing fast." Kagome continued with a smile, "You wouldn't be able to recognize him if you saw him now. I often catch him saying or doing something that reminds me of you and it fills me with bittersweet memories. He misses you very much.

"Last I heard, Sango and Miroku were married. They make a living exorcising youkai and they now live in the southern part of Japan. They have one son with a second one on the way. Unfortunately, Miroku is as flirtatious as ever so Sango has her hands full, but I know they are happy.

"As for me, my heart has found a place where it can finally know peace. It took me a long time to reach this point. I lived in the past for nearly two years. I kept refusing to let you go or to allow myself to admit that I had fallen in love again with someone you consider to be an enemy. I hated the fact that I gave your sword to your brother, but I hope you will believe me when I tell you that it was something I had to do.

"The true reason I am writing you tonight is to say my final goodbye. I cannot keep feeling this guilt and regret. I have a new life now and I owe it to my husband and my baby to put the past in the past. Believe me when I tell you that I have found my soul mate. Sesshoumaru fills my heart with unimaginable love and joy and I live to do the same for him. He completes me and I am thankful to be the one he chose to be the mother of his children.

"I know you and Sesshoumaru never understood each other very well while you were alive, and my heart breaks knowing what you both missed out on, but I believe you two will meet each other again. I hope when that time comes, you both will be able to mend old wounds and love each other, as family should.

"I resisted the urges of my heart because I did not want to betray you, but I cannot deny what I feel and I cannot continue to hurt Sesshoumaru and my unborn child by holding onto my guilt. I have promised Sesshoumaru my heart, body and soul for the rest of my life, for all of my tomorrows. He is my mate, and I am his. I hope you can understand this.

"Until we see each other again,

"Kagome."

She sat for a long moment, staring down at the letter as she reread it before lowering the umbrella to fold the parchment and place it under one of the stone grave markers. Kagome stood and pushed a wet lock of hair off of her face as the watched the rain saturate the paper and cause the ink to run off of the page and soak into the earth. She wasn't certain that visiting his grave one last time would ease her heart, but somehow it did. It felt good to say all those things aloud, even if the person she wanted to say them to couldn't hear her.

Kagome knew it was time to go when she felt the presence of her husband behind her. She knew he didn't understand her need to make amends this way, but he still respected that desire. It never ceased to amaze her how patient her husband was. She never realized the depth of his resignation until after they bonded and that depth continually surprised and delighted her.

"Are you ready?"

Kagome stepped toward Sesshoumaru and nodded to him as he took the umbrella from her hand. He moved both umbrellas to one hand and pulled her toward him with the other, embracing her tightly.

She snuggled against him and breathed in his scent. "Thank you," she murmured.

"Do you feel better?"

"Yes."

His eyes softened as he leaned down to kiss her delicately on her forehead, then more deeply on her lips. She returned the kiss eagerly as she held onto him tighter, enjoying their brief moment of intimacy. She felt him smile a split second before he bit her lower lip playfully and gave her one more kiss.

"Let's go home."


End file.
